Memories of Darkness
by GradGirl2010
Summary: Darkness, Memories, Heartless, and now Nobodies. They've accepted the darkness. Controlling it? Riku and Alirah have a long road ahead. With Namine restoring a sleeping Sora's memories, Riku and Alirah need to keep him safe from the approaching Organization, while trying to keep their own heads down. But how can they save Sora when his memories are on the run?
1. Nine Years Coming

**Memories of Darkness  
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**Darkness, Memories, Heartless, and now Nobodies. They've accepted the darkness. Controlling it? Riku and Alirah have a long road ahead. With Namine restoring a sleeping Sora's memories, Riku and Alirah need to keep him safe from the approaching Organization. But how can they save Sora when his memories are on the run?**

**xxx**

**Nine Years Coming**

**Yes, yes, yes, I know, I know. I don't wanna hear it. I delete and repost because I have too many fics and get a bad writers block that doesn't know which one to update. **

**Guess what? I have a few chapters here to make up for my absence. **

**Hope that earns your forgiveness!**

**xxx**

"Hey kiddo!" Terra lifted Alirah, spinning her in the air. "I've made some tweaks to my armor! Wanna see?!"

"Heck yeah!" Alirah giggled. Terra nodded. He set her down. He drew her attention to his shoulder armor. Without further delay, he slapped the center with a palm, emerging in full body armor in a flash of light.

"Ta-da!" He bowed.

Alirah applauded him. He added a brown tint, accentuating the red and auburn shades. "When do you think I'll get my armor?!"

"Maybe when you're taller than my hip." Terra laughed.

Alirah puffed her cheeks angrily. "I'M NOT THAT SHORT!" Her pigtails bounced.

"You're not tall either!"

Alirah sprang to attack. Ven caught her from behind, throwing Alirah onto his shoulders. "Don't take it personally, Ali. Terra's height is all he has going for him." He winked.

"Hey!" Terra put a fist to his puffed chest. "I'll have you know I'm an accomplished Keyblade Master."

"_In training_!" Aqua surprised him, poking his cheek. "You're a Keyblade Master _in training_. Don't promote yourself."

"What? I can't massage my ego?"

"_Massage_ it. Don't overfeed." Ven corrected him.

"Oh!" Alirah grunted, squinting hard with a hand on her chin. "That's why his armors looks so tight."

"WHAT?! IT IS NOT!" Aqua and Ven doubled over laughing. Alirah was accidentally dropped, but laughed nonetheless. "HEY! COME GUYS! IT'S NOT TIGHT!"

_**xxx**_

_We laughed, and laughed. Terra dropped the armor and finally gave in. Ven and I fell over choking we were laughing so hard. Aqua and Terra laughed harder trying to calm us down. We were so happy. The good times seemed like they'd never end. We lived each day encouraging one another. Being each other's strength and drive. When one of us failed, we all failed. You'd never find a crew of friends closer. Ignorant, though we were, of the golden eyed monster waiting to tear us apart. _

_It stole our father from us - Master Eraqus. Clouded views and rough around the edges. Baffling still in his ashmade Keyblade. Nevertheless, he was and is a good man. Yes, I held a twinge of resentment. It never came close to outweighing my respect. _

_The Terra, Aqua, and Ven left to finish their journeys, this rift started to grow between them. Even on the opposite side of the world I could sense it. Xehanort's iron grip choking them with the very connection that binds them. Luring them to the Keyblade Graveyard where he ended their journey. _

_However, though I know he is the cause, there is a void in this tale. I lost track of my three a while before I fought Xehanort. I still don't know how Xehanort got them to the Keyblade Graveyard. And I still have no idea why Master Eraqus was killed, or why his Keyblade was ashamed of him. What scares me the most - where are Ven and Aqua?_

_One day I'll solve the mystery. Then, maybe, we can all be together again. For now...well...there's a story to tell. One I'm sure you're familiar with. It'll be the backbone for our journey this time around._

**xxx**

_Once upon a time, nine years in the making, there existed a world named Radiant Garden. A simple title that did very little justice. It was a world basked in radiant light. Warmth, love, and happiness spread from one end to the other, lifting the already high spirits of its people. It was a world for refugees, for families, all seeking a place to grow and reshape lives they believed over. This is not to say the world didn't have its own shade of darkness. Everywhere and everyone has darkness. But...it was different. In Radiant Garden...the darkness seemed incapable of touching. Or so I thought._

_Led by a brilliant researcher of the heart, eight young and talented individuals sought to better themselves and the world by joining a man named Ansem the Wise in order to better understand the heart, and all it's functions. Well, actually - 1, 2, yeah - only two were researchers. Albeit one was a little on the young side. Three were secruity. And the last three were absolute goofballs. But they all stuck together like family. Had their own share of arguments too. By looking at them, you would never guess the good times would end._

**xxx**

"LEA! I swear! You don't give me my Keyblade I'm going to light a fireball under your ass!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, SHORTIE!" A red headed boy kept a small blue haired girl at bay by the forehead. "Such language doesn't become a someone so young, Alirah!" He mocking dangling the keyblade - Serpents Cry - inches out of her reach, "Especially when she wants her toy back~" Two guards - Aeleus and Dilan - standing by watched the spectacle from their posts at the massive front doors, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Should we not step in, Dilan?"

"And shorten the only real entertainment of our day, Aeleus?"

"Hm, yeah, you're right." Aeleus chuckled.

Alirah smirked brazenly. She puffed through her nose. There was a puff. Lea stared deadpanned, then smelt something cooking. His nose lured him behind him. "YAAAH-HAAA!" The boy leapt several feet in the throwing his hands and Alirah's keyblade in the air.

Alirah nonchalantly caught the keyblade, savoring Lea running around the courtyard like a chicken without a head. He jumped, patted his butt, and danced a jig. It didn't snuff the flame, but it sure brought a smile to Alirah.

Lea ran to a fountain and threw his butt in. He moaned in absolute relief hearing the fire evaporate. The fountain might as well have been a sauna. He relaxed with his arms draped to the fountain's second bowl, refusing to move until the smell of pork chops wasn't in the air.

"Well done, Alirah." Dilan and Aeleus applauded. "You're coming along nicely with your magic." Aeleus commended.

"Now if only her swordplay would improve." Dilan playfully insulted.

"You want improvement?" Alirah bounced her brow impishly.

"Hoe mama, that feels good." Lea crooned.

"I'm sure the burn to your ego will hurt later." An angered vein popped in Lea's brow. His neck clinked like a cog as he stiffly grimaced at the blue haired menace known as Isa - so called best friend. "This is karma for taking her blade."

"Aw, c'mon! You and Braig take it all the time and she never lights your ass on fire!" Lea complained, stewing in the insult of his injury.

"Because 'we' can't hang onto it for longer than three seconds! AND," Isa threw up a finger, silencing Lea's impending protest, "We're not stupid enough to try more than once."

"Lucky for me!" Alirah extended her keyblade, gathering a flaring fireball to the tip. "Braig has said I need a 'moving' target." The fires glow outlined her true evil.

"Hold on! Alirah!" Lea scrambled up the fountain. Alirah brought her keyblade up.

"Alirah..." She froze. The fire snuffed out like a candle. Alirah laughed nervously, turning to find Even and Braig scolding her with a stare. "Unless you plan to reimburse Master Ansem for that fountain..." Even directed a finger down. Alirah groaned in defeat, putting her keyblade away.

"You should have let her." Ienzo grumbled emerging from behind a tree with a book in hand, "That fountain is an eyesore."

"The kid's right!" Braig knelt behind Alirah, clamped his hands to her hands to the keyblade. "Go one, shortstuff, give it a good boom and I'll buy ya ice cream! Consider it a birthday present."

"My birthday was five months ago." She furrowed her brow.

"And I never got you anything! So shoot." He encouraged.

"Hmph. Okay." Alirah flipped the blade tip to Braig's face.

"HOLD ON!" Even and everyone ducked.

"FLARE!" A blinding flash sent Braig sprawling to the ground. Even and the other blinked in bewildered amazement. Alirah erected two fingers, impishly sticking out her tongue.

"Okay...yeah...I deserve that." He was seeing spots when the haze cleared. He coughed up black smoke. His hair frizzed everywhere. Alirah, Lea, and the others nearly fell over laughing so hard. "Geez, kid, I shudder to think what your powers will be like when you're older."

"I'll be kicking all of your butts to the curb." She boasted.

"That happens," Dilan and Aeleus approached, "I'll shave my sideburns." Dilan stroked one side.

"Then keep that razor handy, Dill." Alirah warned. She stroked her blade, marveling in the nicks and kinks. "Because I'm going to stronger than all of you."

**xxx**

_Never in my entire life have I regretted my words more than I did that day. I always knew I'd become stronger through the years. It sickens me that Maleficent had a hand in my progress, but it was necessary when Riku and the others came into my life. I discovered a new reason to fight. In doing so...I killed three of the seven people I've longed to see. The only closure - besides having charms fashioned as their weapons - is knowing our fight was because of the venomous words of another._

_When HE reared his head on my new home - Xehanort, wearing my brothers body - the darkness that consumed him would soon consume more that I loved, and take all of Radiant Garden. While I may blame others for taking me far away, I never mustered the nerve to return to them. To find my seven and tell them how sorry I was for leaving. I just...I just couldn't face HIM. I couldn't face Xehanort. Not while he was in Terra._

_My cowardice cost me more than I realized. By his lies, Xehanort has turned my best friends not only into Nobodies, but also has turned them against me. Lea...AXEL may be M.I.A, but there are still three more unaccounted for. And something tells me that we'll be having a reunion very soon. _

_Heh...heh-heh. So be it. Nine years is a long time. My legs are tired from running. _

**xxx**

"Xemnas..." The name rolled off the tongue, carrying a nauseating taste. A gust of a breeze wafted blue locks of hair in the moonlight. A long black cloak flapping animatedly. Boots planted in tall green grass. Leaves brushed past a pair of vibrant crimson eyes glaring at the stars - the other worlds. Those she had yet to travel are her targets. Because, beyond those stars, the man wearing Terra's face is waiting for her. The last remnant of Master Xehanort. "Be ready..." Her fingers squeezed Oblivion's hilt. Her glare sharpened like a blade, piercing the night, "Because I'm coming for you!" She extended her blade to the stars.

**xxx**

Auburn eyes opened. A chin propped to a knuckle, lips parted in a malicious grin. "I'll be waiting."

**So much for the introductory. Let's move on to the prelude.**


	2. Let the Hunt Begin

**Let the Hunt Begin**

**Ok kids. Moving on.**

**xxx**

**Day 52 of 358/2**

So many worlds existence. Many of them have yet to be discovered. What stories they hold, people they nurture, histories of their creation - many of it remains a mystery. Amongst those worlds, there is one that - in every literal sense - should not exist. Yet it stands in the twilight, trapped in the void between darkness and light. As do its inhabitants who masterfully wander the very twilight.

An ebony sky wept perpe raindrops upon vacant street. Flooding the alleyways of a dismally lit town. Towers teasing to scar the starless night alight by lights emanating from windows made the rushing winds howl in despair. Lightning clashed with roaring thunder, entangled in a dangerous battle across the barren heavens. The empty cities only chills came from the tormenting thunder's booming. The water flooding the streets rippled, reflecting an imperfect silhouette of the heart shaped moon. Unmoving and unnerving, the moon rested in the center of the sky, casting an ominous glow upon the soulless world. A world that was never meant to be, but still is. A shell of a former self.

Hailing as the higher power of the world was a marble, pearl grey castle nesting at the top of a glistening aurora slope. A sigil unlike any other was engraved on parts of the towers. A stretched, elongated, and jagged heart. Three pikes as the head of the sigil. A rotating pike serving as the epicenter for the castle's hovering kept it aloft a cataclysmically forged crater, severing the castle from the rest of the city. Within were hollow halls echoing with the voices of the nonexistent. Souls lost from reality desperately clinging to matter which gave them purpose. Creatures of white and grey - erratic in their movements, enigmatic in the motives - loomed around the towers, and throughout the corridors like disembodied spirits. Haunting the emptiness.

From atop the highest tower the desolate town was able to admired in all its glory. A grey haired man stood on the very platform of that highest tower. Hands planted to the short wall, he leaned forward, an aspiratious glimmer in his golden orange eyes. His smirk salivated with hunger. Empty wind graced his darkly tanned skin, gathering up his silver grey locks. The man tilted his head to the much wanted breeze. Those determined orbs locked on the heart shaped moon, melting with yearning for the salvation it taunted him with. He stretched a black gloved, desperate hand for the stagnant star. He curled his fingers, grasping a goal far, far out of his reach. He placed the clenched fist to the empty void where a heart once resided.

"So close, Kingdom Hearts. Yet still you vex me with from your ebony throne." He recited, mourning his sole daunting failure. Lowering his head he slipped into sorrow. A single thought came to mind. _Are you as far from my grasp as well, sister?_

"Lord Xemnas." A golden eyed man with moon blue hair approached the mournful man, bowing in respect for his master.

"Saix." The man called Xemnas uttered his name with notable pleasure. "Your timing is as impeccable as always." Xemnas's second in command, Saix. A man as mysterious as the moon that torments him. Empty wind wafted his black cloak.

"What troubles you?" Saix wondered. His master's displeasure was like a beacon. The same concern resonated from the six others behind the blue haired man. They too were dressed in cloaked attire. Their nervous expression foretold their knowledge of something amiss. And they were right to be so.

Xemnas turned to face his onlooking followers. Their spines stiffened them to attention. Their scrutinizing stares demanded answers. He granted them a somber expression, all the while belying the glee bubbling inside. "A most ill of tidings has befallen us, my friends…" He spread his arms welcomingly, approaching the confused crowd. "Members of our Organization sent to Castle Oblivion have forever faded into the nothingness that bred them."

"What? No way!" A skinny teenage boy, Demyx, gasped.

"I am afraid so." Xemnas shook his head. "Reluctantly, our companions are no longer with us."

"Axel…" The youngest boy uttered hoarsely. Deep blue eyes dimming. The hooded girl beside him remained unphased by the news. She was confused by the boy she knew as Roxas. _Who was this Axel he worried for_, she wondered.

"How is this possible?" A platinum blond man, Luxord, rumbled. He rapidly shuffled cards between palms, quickening the pace in sync with his growing irritation. He flipped two bearing pictures of Axel and Marluxia, holding them between his fingers. "Marluxia and Axel were the strongest of the six sent. No one could have feasibly dispatched them." He folded them back to the deck. Four more depicting Larxene, Vexen, Zexion, and Lexaeus were displayed. "These four were wild cards but were reliable. Lexaeus being the least likely to disappear easily."

"I am in agreement with Luxord." The muscular member with wild sideburns, Xaldin, grunted. "Foul play must be afoot. A traitor in their midst." Xigbar, Saix, and Demyx exchanged sour glares. Demyx and Xigbar backed away from Saix. The two younger members remained rather impassive.

Xemnas raised a hand, silencing his fellow Nobodies. "While your apprehensions are understandable, I urge you all to bear an important factor in mind." Xemnas rolled his gaze over the tension resonating from his underlings. Dwindling cohesiveness will only marr their chances at a victory he's envisioned. "Interlopers who eluded my sight infiltrated the Castle. Because of them our numbers have been dropped by half."

"Interlopers? Such as whom?" Luxord huffed. He shot a glare to Saix.

Operations within Castle Oblivion were restricted to a need to know basis. Common knowledge was there were signs of a disturbance, but nothing had been reported. Other than Saix, no one else knew who what was happening behind those walls. Or, the fact, that intruders had invaded those mysterious halls. Saix and Xemnas were privy to daily reports of the true happenings within those walls.

"Who would be stupid enough to attack our members?" Xigbar guffawed.

"The dusks whisper to me in my solitude." Xemnas touched two fingers to his ear, tracing the outer lobe tenderly. "And in their whispers the name of the keybearer, Sora, and the servants of the King, Donald and Goofy, touched my ear."

Roxas and Xion's eyes widened. _Sora…_ The name echoed in their minds.

"I know of this boy." Saix announced pensively. He stroked his chin. "He too is a chosen wielder of the weapon known as The Keyblade. With it, he vanquished the Dark Witch, Maleficent." This news caused the group to gasp in awe. A boy, barely peeking into teen years, as strong as a centuries old witch. The concept brought a malicious smile to Saix's lips. _Keybearers seem to grow more powerful with each wielder._ "Quite the powerful young man. Though not nearly so strong as to defeat six members. Regardless of aid from King Mickey's lapdogs."

"True." Xemnas full heartedly agreed. He approved of Saix's insight. "While the boy may possess power beyond his control, two others proved more than capable." He erected two fingers, wiggling them dauntingly, "And they too wield dangerous keyblades."

Kids running around with keyblades. Xaldin, Xigbar, and Saix were having a strange sense of deja vu. "Who are these two kids? They sound like absolute riots." Xigbar twisted anxiously. He itched the scar running down his cheek. He hadn't had a good time since the kid who gave him that scar.

"One is a boy named Riku. A warrior who walks boldly in darkness. Cuts through it with ease. The heartless within tremble in his wake." Xaldin and Xigbar liked the sound of the boy already. He will provide great sport. "The other is a young lady whom a few of us are familiar." Xemnas narrowed his sights on Saix, Xigbar, and Xaldin. "Alirah." Their stiffened spines drew a twinkle in Xemnas's eye.

Xaldin and Xigbar lost their breath. Looking at each other they saw the utter disbelief in each other's eyes. After nine long years Alirah finally resurfaced. They always assumed she was far away. The worst case scenario: she died some time after she left Radiant Garden. For all intensive purposes, she might as well be. After all this time, she was close by the whole time. Before they could reminisce, Saix's grinding fingers balled in a fist. He growled animally in the back of his throat. His upper lip quivered, revealing protruding fangs. Hatred burned in the pit of his core.

"Saix..." Xaldin rumbled.

"Why are you allowing her to walk freely?" Saix snarled disdainfully. The exception of Xigbar and Xaldin, The Organization member flinched at Saix's outburst. He's always so in control. "How can you stand by and willingly allow her to live?!" Xigbar and Xaldin were horrified. He sounded as if he wanted Alirah to stay _dead._ They had no idea why. Well…that wasn't entirely true. There was a reason. But not one they openly accepted as the truth. They couldn't believe Alirah capable of…no.

"Who is this Alirah?" Luxord inquired intrigued. "Another wild card?"

"Alirah is a necromancer." Saix answered grimly. "A being with control over the souls of man, and who can wield darkness like a second blade." He stared at his palm, only able to imagine what it must feel like to possess such power.

"What's the difference between her and Riku?" Demyx asked.

Xemnas pondered the question for a moment. The similarities in Riku and Alirah's powers were amazingly similar. He chortled when the differences became glaringly obvious. "Riku can control the darkness within himself. In a sense he is a channeler of sorts. Cast it with ferocity, vanquishing his enemy, and shape it to defend him. He can walk amid the darkest abyss and not be adversely affected. He is able to sense beings within the darkness, and remove them." Riku sounded impressive. Now what was Alirah capable of? "Alirah's manipulation of darkness, however, is absolute. Pure, raw power deriving from her being. She thrives in darkness, feeds off it. It is, indeed, a second blade for her. She summons it at will, invoking powers that even I would think thrice about provoking. Darkness is at her beckon call." Demyx, Roxas, Luxord, and Xion gaped astonished at the description. Chills scaled their spines. It was almost too difficult to believe. Half their members faded into nothingness was proof enough of their strength.

"Those two will be troublesome." Saix declared. "Perhaps it is time they become one with the darkness for all eternity." Xaldin and Xigbar glanced shamefully to the ground.

"Agreed." Luxord sided with number VII. "We cannot risk them growing more powerful than they are."

"While Riku may pose a minimal threat, there is a danger to approaching Alirah." Xemnas swiftly added. The anxious Organization members froze in mid stride. Brows arched curiously. "Within Alirah lies a monster. Untapped, gradually awakening power she desperately tries to suppress. She acknowledges it as her inner Necromancer. A beast she cannot control and fears to unleash." Xigbar, Xaldin, and Saix ogled Xemnas nervously. Power that struck fear into Alirah's heart. That awakened an old memory or two. "In this state she is at her most powerful as well as her most vulnerable. Her powers flail out of control, exhaust her. Her mind and heart are trapped in an endless state of hysteria. What draws this monster forth is a mystery I trust you all will solve."

"You sound as if you wish to recruit her." Xaldin accused his leader curtly. Xemnas's silence confirmed his suspicions. "Why, may I ask?"

"Because she is far more dangerous as an enemy." Xemnas strode to the edge of the platform, bobbing his head in agreement. He folded his hands behind his back, gazing thoughtfully upon the moon. "I care nothing of what becomes of Riku. As for Alirah…" He lovingly purred her name. When he met the gazes of his underlings they saw the longing in his eyes, "I ask that none of you maim her too severely. I wish to deal with her myself." Xemnas's tan cheeks were seen widening in a malicious grin.

Saix bowed at his request and teleported from the platform in a black mass. Xigbar and Xaldin sighed dismally, teleporting out. This will be one reunion they weren't going to look forward to. Luxord and the others were trapped in confusion. There's a loop they weren't in. The four senior members made sure of that. Unfortunately it was premature to ask. Luxord motioned a hand to Demyx, Xion, and Roxas. When he vanished, the other three followed suit.

Left alone to his thoughts, Xemnas uncurled a hand. A crystal jewel rose rested in the center of his palm. He lovingly graced his fingertips over it, savoring how fragile the ornament felt. He put it to his nose, inhaling a small portion of blue hair entangled in the clip. Sweet bliss made his chest tingle. "Soon, dear sister, you will be by my side again." He kissed the jeweled rose.

**xxx**

Alirah gasped flying forward, panting heavily in dripped sweat. An imprint flattened the grass where she had been sleeping. The black cloak Diz gave them kept the grass from bothering her while she slept. She darted her head in a panic, coming to realize she is still in the middle of nowhere in the plains. Mickey and Hiano were fast asleep by a tree. She smiled warmly, stretching her arms behind her head. She circled her neck, tilting her head back. The sky had yet to lose it's navy blue sheen. The stars and moon were as bright as they were hours ago. It was the middle of the night. She collapsed exhausted to her place, smashing a palm to her tired eyes. Her entire body felt like dead weight. What did she expect walking two days nonstop? She wondered if they'd ever make it out of there.

"That voice…" She whispered in a tired squeak, "So familiar." She touched the rose jewel Riku made for her some time ago. She reached for her Wayfinder. She was saddened it wasn't in her pocket. _Where did it-oh! _

**Flashback**

_Kingdom Heart's doors were on the verge of closing. Alirah tossed her Wayfinder. Donald caught it._

**Flashback End**

_That's right. I asked Donald to hang onto it for me. _She smiled warmly. Donald's face when she gave him her most treasured possession. It meant the world to him. For Goofy, it was a promise they would meet again.

"_Alirah...do ya...wanna go back to the castle with us?_" Goofy's voice pricked her. Castle Oblivion's insanity wasn't enough to erase the burden that question placed on her. "I..."

"Alirah?" Riku quietly shuffled close so not to rouse Mickey or Hiano. "Are you alright?"

"To be honest I'm not sure." Her crimson eyes blinked dazedly at the sky. Goofy and Donald aside, other concerns voiced their opinions in her mind. "There are voices echoing in my mind. I know them. But I can't put them to a face."

Riku lied on his elbow, propping his head with intrigue. "Maybe Castle Oblivion affected our memories without us realizing it." He proposed. They spent the better part of three days traveling floors of a castle trapping them in their memories. To say the journey left them shaken would be an understatement. "A castle of memories - short term amnesia shouldn't be out of the question."

"No. I guess not." Now that she thinks about it, it does feel like there are holes in her head. There must be. She forgot Donald had her charm. "Did I ever tell you, after we left The Castle, this homesick feeling curdled my stomach?"

"No. I don't think so." He put a hand to her stomach, then to her head. She didn't have a fever. "Has it passed?"

"It has. But when it hit me I wanted to cry."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She closed her eyes, cupping her hands to her heart. "The last time I felt that way was when I first left The Land of Departure." The rhythmic beats coaxed her to a time she never believed sorrow or anguish existed. Back to her days in The Land of Departure. "It wasn't my home. But it was close. Two brothers who protected me. A sister who guided me. A master who was like a grandfather." Tears leaked past her closed corners. "When I left Castle Oblivion…it was as if I was leaving that all behind again…" Sadness trembled her voice. "Worst of all there was someone else there."

"There was?" Riku recollected all the scents he detected while in the castle. He only smelt The Organization, Ansem, and Xehanort. "I didn't sense them."

"But I did. It must have been Sora on the next floor." She dried her tears with her sleeve. When she thought of Sora being the only other person in the Castle, more tears flooded the grass. "It was only Sora…!" She sobbed heartbroken. "I swear I sensed Ven closed by. So close...I could have found him by opening a door!" She folded both arms over her face, failing to stifle her cries. Riku gently brought her into his arms, stroking her back as he let her cry into his chest.

"It's going to be alright, Alirah."

"I want them back, Riku!" Mickey and Hiano listened with one eye open. "Isa, Ienzo, Terra - I want to go back to when we were all happy! When Xehanort hadn't ruined everything!" No Keyblades.

"I know, Ali."

"My heart…" She clawed at her chest, "My heart hurts...so badly." She dug her fingers in Riku's back, pulling him closer. "Promise me you won't leave me. Promise me."

"I promise. You have my word, Ali." He rested his head on hers. _I swear. I'll make those bastards pay for hurting you._

**Next chapter is up.**


	3. Voices in the Plains

**Voices in the Planes**

**xxx**

**Day 60 of 358/2**

**(Riku POV)  
><strong>  
>We've beaten them! It was an amazing feeling. After weeks of oppression under their thrall, Alirah and I finally defeated Ansem and Xehanort and cast them out of our hearts. Yeah...but...if we won...why do I still smell their stench? Why does it seem like...like Ansem and Xehanort are walking right beside us? In retrospect they might as well be. We didn't defeat them! I bet we didn't even wound them! The best we did was push them back. Fortified sandbags in front of our hearts against the vicious waves of their grip. Sandbags aren't meant to last. Just prolong the inevitable when the water breaks through. I'll wager, the second we let our guard down or slip into a moment of weakness, Xehanort and Ansem will reappear and this madness will begin again.<p>

Ansem. He wormed his way into my heart after I foolishly allowed him entry. Desperate for power I sank into the darkness. Blind by jealousy and an obscured desire to save someone I accepted the darkness into my heart and simply sat idly by as it consumed me. I didn't care. The only thoughts in my mind at the time were, 'How can I become stronger? Will I be able to protect Alirah? What will happen if the Heartless sense weakness in me?' Strength! That's all that mattered. Ansem offered me the strength I long desired. Playing on my wounded pride at losing to Sora. He may have even known about how much I cared about Alirah. He knew I wanted to keep her safe. Protect her. And he nearly destroyed her. I nearly destroyed her.

Our adventure in Castle Oblivion pushed me to the brink of destruction. Struggling to keep Ansem consuming my heart, fighting to keep Alirah by my side - my body and mind were ready to give. All of my memories were of nothing but darkness and despair. A jealousy I felt towards Terra - or rather Alirah's admiration of Terra - made me erupt in rage at her. Not just Terra. Members of the Organization as well. Alirah knew a few of them from her days as a child. Anytime one of them appeared I felt cast out. They knew Alirah inside and out. I only just met her. It made me think I could never have the relationship with her that they have. A self laid welcome matt for Ansem. He preyed on the vulnerabilities my new found emotions brought forth. For days he had possession over my body. But this time I didn't let him in so easily. This time I fought and kicked him out. Or so I thought.

It took every last ounce of strength I had within me, but somehow I managed to defeat Ansem and sent him packing. When the final strike I dealt made him fade into the darkness my entire body felt so light. For once there wasn't this weight bearing down on my shoulders. Unfortunately Ansem didn't disappear quietly. He vowed to return and take my body as his own one day. I swore to him that I'd be ready. It wasn't going to happen. Yet, as I stood there savoring my victory, I felt that snake slithering around in my heart. That sickening, bubbling sensation in my heart. Ansem was still there. His power festering in my heart. I could sense Xehanort within Alirah as well.

We didn't defeat them! They weren't gone! All we did was delay them. I know they're lying in wait. Watching and listening - planning for the exact moment when they could finish what they started. That's never going to happen. So long as I breathe Ansem or Xehanort will never see the light of day. I just hope my heart plans to uphold the same vow. And I'm hoping, by putting distance between us and Castle Oblivion, Alirah would be at ease too. She seemed a little out of sorts ever since we left. I wonder what's wrong?

**(Alirah POV)  
><strong>  
>It was...strange. At the time, part of me desperately wanted to escape the hallowed halls of that damned castle. To distance myself from the floors of memories I buried long ago deep within my heart. Never to surface. The losses I suffered at the hands of the shadows lurking broke me. Losing Hiano, destroying my old friends - my heart shattered into so many pieces I became a shell. Reassembling it appeared impossible. Seeing the faces of those I hurt, hearing the voice of the ones I loved and lost - I lost track as to the number of times I wanted to give up. Give in to my despair and let the darkness take me. How I wanted to get out!<p>

But now, as I trudge vehemently down the endless dirt laden road - a vast distance of evergreen grass blanketing steep hills - Riku, Hiano, and Mickey by my side, I find myself...missing Castle Oblivion. Odd, I know. But it's true. From the moment I set foot out of the castle this sensation washed over me. It pulsated adamantly for hours. Still it has yet to let up. Tears well in the corners of my eyes when I dwell on it. I recognized this feeling. Sorrow, nausea, confusion. My stomach has churned into knots this same way many years ago. When my time at The Land of Departure came to an abrupt end, and I left with Terra. But why? Why did leaving Castle Oblivion ale me like this? It wasn't home. It was a prison. An institution crafted to torture the unfortunate fool who happened upon it with their darkest memories.

Knowing this did not deter this feeling of homesickness. What made it worse...is I kept sensing someone. Since floor one until I walked out the front door I kept thinking someone I knew was close by. Not the Organization of Nobodies. Not Sora, Donald, or Goofy. No...it...it was...Ven? VEN?! No! It couldn't be! And yet the presence I was sensing was unmistakable. It WAS Ven. How was that possible? Was Ven in the Castle and I missed him? Or was it another trick? I don't know. The only thing that mattered now was getting back home. Wherever home was. Riku has the islands to return to. Me? Numerous worlds have served as a refuge. I know not where my true home lies. Do I return with my grandfather? What about Disney Castle? Mickey would like to see me return. Goofy and Donald too. The Land of Departure isn't an option. Radient Garden maybe.

Oh well. It would have to wait. Riku and I couldn't just go home right off the bat anyway. Not while we have a mission to complete. Namine, a Nobody with powers over Sora's memories and those around him, is piecing Sora's memories back together.

**(Riku POV)  
><strong>  
>You see, at certain point in his journey, Namine began rewriting Sora's memories. It was part of the Organization's plans to change him into their puppet. Their plan failed, but not before Sora's ld memories got replaced with bogus ones. Unfortunately, in order for Sora to get his old memories back, he'd have to forget everything that happened in the castle. Everything. The battles, the floors, even the castle itself. In order for that to be made possible he fell into a deep sleep. Right now he's floating in a pod, sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. Good thing I chose to keep my memories. I intend to tell him off when he wakes up. But, in the mean time, while he sleeps, Alirah and I are going to keep the Organization away from him. No matter what the cost, Sora was going to wake up. When? I don't know. But enough friends have been lost. I'm not about to allow Sora to be one of them.<p>

**(Alirah POV)  
><strong>  
>Riku is fraught with worry of losing Sora. Why shouldn't he be? He betrayed Sora for power. Because lies twisted him into what he isn't. I am by no means holier than thou. Lies twisted me, anger and hatred drove me - I've harmed those that should be close to me. All for meaningless revenge. Now people I love are dragged into my mess.<p>

Hiano. I don't want him involved any further. But he will never leave my side willingly. Just like...I would never leave Terra's...unless forced to.

**xxx**

"_Riku…_"

He was weightless. Floating in a sickeningly familiar abyss basked in neverending darkness. A torrent of misery and fear surrounded him, swallowing him further in the depths of no return. He felt nothing. His muscles were limp as wet noodles. Nerves prickling his body like thousands of tiny needles. Jolts traveled every inch of him. Darkness he prevented corrupting his heart trying adamantly to twist him.

"_Riku…_"

Dark violet threads snaked his wrists, slithering to the shoulders. Threads wrapped the full length of his legs. One found its way to his neck. The threads tightened. Riku's face contorted in discomfort. The threads grew tighter. The circulation was cut. Oxygen deprived pressure built in his head. He made an effort to struggle. Invisible weight kept him still. Helpless.

"_You are mine, Riku. Never shall you be free of me._"

A form was on top of him. Pressing down hard. A full grown man was lying on top of him. The threads tied to his legs were his legs keeping him trapped. The threads to his arms were hands restraining his arms. Around his neck were silver grey locks of hair. The beats of Riku's heart pounded against a broad chest. Soulless darkness transferring between them. To his ear were dark pairs of lips twisted in a malicious grin. Golden eyes narrowed, savoring Riku's shivering.

"_In a moment of weakness - when your pitiful strength is not enough, when you surrender to the power you fear, when you lose the will to resist,_" A gloved hand touched to Riku's chest. Riku let out a moan, tensing nervously, "_I will reclaim what is mine._" The fingers dug in.

"AAHHH!"

"YAH!" There was a loud thud.

"ALIRAH?" Riku panted. He shot up so suddenly he inadvertently threw Alirah against a tree stump. She heatedly massaged her head, cheeks puffed in a pout at the flustered Riku. "Oh man! Ali! I'm sorry."

"No-no! I'm okay." She absconded his help. "The tree broke my fall." She irritably rolled onto her knees, shaking off the splinters. "But, seriously, give a little warning."

"Sorry." He roughly pushed his sweat and hair back. He leaned on a palm. The feel of the grass sent relieving shocks through his body. He could still feel Ansem on top of him. He shuddered in revulsion. Alirah cupped a hand to his cheek, bringing his bloodshot cerulean eyes to meet her disconcerted crimson. She slowly rested a hand to his chest. The speedy pace unnerved her. Riku gently curled fingers to both her hands, brushing her knuckles to his lips. "I'm fine. Or will be."

"Are you sure?"

Riku hesitated a moment. Light dimmed in his eyes. "I...don't really know."

**xxx**

It was...astonishing. Absolutely mind boggling. Often times they could hardly believe it themselves. A few times during their jaunt through the vast plains, Alirah and Riku processed the ordeals they endured and accept the fact that only two short months have gone by since their journey together began. Even saying it out loud made it harder to comprehend. At least a year should have passed. But no. Traveling to countless, beautiful worlds. Meeting allies and enemies - old and new. Fighting against hordes of heartless seeking to consume their hearts and the darkness within. Serving under a tyrannical witch. Surviving numerous floors of heart wrenching memories. And, of course, fending off lingering shadows wishing to turn them into puppets. So much has happened. It was almost like a dream. A long, terrifying, exciting dream. It was not a dream. The proof is in the scars etched into their bodies. Each one carrying a memory of their trials. Alirah and Riku wore those scars with pride. For they are proof of the accomplishments they achieved. Now here they were, wandering through plains, searching for their next adventure.

The plains lived up to their christening. An entire valley of rising and falling hills blanketed in greener than green grass. Trees growing in precarious areas. Throw in a few slides, swings, and a sandbox and The Plains could be a huge park. Crystal blue water flowing at the foot of opposite facing slopes glistened under the sun's brilliant rays. A cool breeze wafted the ankle high blades of grass, coasting the aroma of freshly bloomed blossoms to Riku, Alirah, Mickey, and Hiano's noses.

**xxx**

"Hmm…" Riku put his hand to his forehead like a visor, peering toward the sky.

"Whatcha think' about, Riku?" Mickey asked concerned. Riku had been humming to himself and glaring at the sky for a few hours.

"Just…" Riku trailed off for a moment. An air about the sky raised a red flag in his mind. The path behind them was a mirror image of the path ahead. Riku watched the ground pass by under him. It was like walking on a treadmill with passing pictures. "We've been walking for days. Passed the same trees, the same rocks, the same frog on a lilypad." A frog drifting down the stream on a lilypad croaked. "Why does it feel like we're not getting anywhere?"

"And I haven't seen a single animal since we entered here." Alirah added noticing squirrel holes with no squirrels. Grass was dug up where gopher holes lied. With the exception of the frog, The Plains were void of animal life. She followed the frog until it disappeared down the stream.

"Phew…" Mickey wiped sweat from his brow. "It feels hotter than yesterday."

"Agreed." Hiano wriggled molting skin onto Alirah's shoulders. He kindly dusted it to the ground with his tail. He curious of the heat. The days are at their hottest when the sun is directly in the middle of the sky. They'd barely began walking minutes after they woke up. When Hiano looked at the sun positions, it was dead in the center. He hadn't thought about it, but the moon was in the middle all last night as well. "My mind is playing tricks in my old age. The sun and moon do not move." The trio glanced up. Hiano was right. Alirah looked directly at the moon last night. The sun was roughly in the same position. Or appeared to be. Their concerns over the sun would have to wait. They needed to find a way out.

Hiano offered to piggyback his friends a majority of the way. Alirah opposed for two reasons. One: a majority of the way was unknown to them. Likely there was hundreds of miles left to journey. Two: Hiano was nowhere near recuperated from their battle with Xehanort. He was a stubborn serpent. He pleaded he was fine. Alirah knew better. Their link allowed him to know when she was ill and she him. Although, mentally she avoided the elephant in the room. She lost Hiano once due to her carelessness. She would not risk it again.

The sun never moved as Riku and the others trudged arduously along. The heat beaded mercilessly on their skin, cooking them alive. The muscles in their legs throbbed. The soles of their boots dragged languorously. Rocks bumped the toes, tripping them to a face full of dirt. It was like falling on a bed of needles. Thunder of pain reverberated them to the brink of unconsciousness. Each one that tripped, they never wanted to get up again. Seven days and six nights of walking. To where was anyone's guess. With the duration and distance they'd been walking it should have been sunset by now. The heavy heat was all that adjusted. And it grew heavier each day. Today was at its all time highest.

In the beginning they were two teenagers, a mouse, and snake making a jaunt back to the real world. Or whatever world rested at the end of the plains. When those Darkside Heartless crushed them, they both reappeared in spaces that brought them to the threshold of Castle Oblivion. When they left they were walking on a greyish path located in the epicenter of the Abyss. They passed a couple of boulders and emerged in the plains, meeting Diz who granted them a choice. Take the path to Darkness or the Path to light. In their decision to take the middle path they uttered vows. Riku swore to walk the path to dawn. The first sign of light after darkness. Alirah will walk the path to tomorrow. The first step out of the past.

**xxx**

"_Alirah..._"

"Huh!" Alirah twisted back. Mickey threw his hands up, stepping back. Her eyes were wide in utter horror.

"What's wrong?" Mickey shook.

"_Alirah..._"

"Did you hear something?" She whispered, swallowing nervously.

"Hear what?" Hiano asked firmly. "What have you heard, Alirah?" He was not about to pretend Alirah was well. He noticed it the second she set foot in the plains. A heavy toll was weighing on her mind.

"N-nothing..." She gazed perplexedly toward the ground, muddling the pebbles as she rationalized the voice. "I'm just...tired." She jogged after Riku, keeping close to him. Hiano bore a scolding glare in her back. He closed his eyes, focusing on her mind. Sharp pain shot down the middle of his skull.

"What happened?" Mickey mumbled under his breath.

Hiano shook the pain off, wriggling fiercely to recompose himself. "She's keeping me out. She won't let me see."

"Let you see what?"

"The man behind the voice."

**xxx**

To say making that journey is steadily becoming difficult was the understatement of their lives. Mickey and Hiano were only tired. Alirah and Riku - it was much more. Hands of lingering shoulder squeezed their shoulders, arms wrapped tautly to their forms, never allowing them to stray too far. Venomous snarls of their disembodied voices tickled their ears. Icy hot pulses radiated from their heavy hearts. Tension on their skulls blurred their vision off and on. Mickey saved Riku from walking head first into a tree. Hiano constricted Alirah's waist when she almost slipped into the river. Mickey and Hiano were scared for them. Looking at their sunken faces it was clear they were being devoid of life. Empty eyes staring into nothing. Not even Hiano could sense what troubled the two. Which bothered him greatly. It meant Alirah was going the extra mile to keep him out.

Night fell upon the plains for the seventh night. Blazing heat was cooled under the moon's brilliant glow. Exhaustion weighed unbearably on Riku and Alirah's shoulders. Worse than yesterdays. Mickey crawled, digging the toes of his shoes and the tips of his fingers in the hillside. He rolled over collapsing asleep. Alirah set Hiano On Mickey's stomach. He coiled tightly to a ball, lying his head listlessly on the grass.

Riku hadn't bothered to leave the path. He retreated under a tree, practically throwing himself against the trunk. He toppled onto his side, curling on the grass and falling into a deep sleep. Alirah made her way down the slope to him. Her legs suddenly gave out. She rolled all the way to the foot of the hill, falling asleep on a thin strip of grass. One last breath escaped their lungs. They sank in engrossing slumber, unable to open their eyes any further.

**xxx**

A tall figure with the same golden eyes knelt beside Riku. His smiling lips hovered over his ear. "_How long do you think you can keep on?_"

"No...go away." Riku groaned in his sleep.

"_How far does your delusion extend that you believe you will be able to resist me?_"

"Not here...you're not here!" Riku yanked a handful of grass and dirt right out of the ground.

"_I will always be here, Riku. When you sleep, when you're awake. Never shall you be free of my grasp._" A fistful of his hair was gently grasped. His head was tilted back. Closed eyes forced to meet the searing gold. "_You will be my vessel again, Riku. And there is nothing you can do to stop me._"

**xxx**

As the night proceeded, the long blades of grass shaped to Mickey, Alirah, and Riku, comfortably nestling their forms. Trickles of the running stream soothed the pounding of Riku and Alirah's minds. All theirs stresses and tensions slipped away with the flowing water.

"Terra." Alirah moaned Terra's name under her breath. "Terra. Come play...play..."

Boots stood at her feet. A hunched over figure watched her slumber peacefully. "How comfortably you slumber. The darkness offers you security, yet you resist its magnetism." His malevolent golden orbs gleamed with his sinister grin. "No need to fear for too long." He snapped his fingers. The water started to fade. The loud trickling went silent. Riku and Alirah weren't stirred. "Soon, in its splendor, you shall be consumed." The figured disappeared into thin air. Twinkling stars lighting up the night sky extinguished like candlelight one by one. The sky blackened with every handful. Soon the moon was all that remained. The trees, the hills, the dirt road - all of the plains, except where the others slept faded into black. Rays of the moon shining upon them in the encompassing darkness. Then...darkness.

**Okay. Next chap is up. Go read**


	4. Familiar Names

**Familiar Names**

**Picking up where I left off.**

**xxx**

**Day 61 of 358/2**

_Falling…falling…falling deeper into darkness. _A current guides a form further beneath, far from the shimmering light above._ It doesn't frighten me. _Orbs of light take shape, surrounding and blanketing her in their warm glow.

_Voices. Many overlapping voices. They speak my name, calling out to me. _Familiar voices whisper in her ear. Dozens of them. She knows them.

_Figures surrounding me, comforting me with warm embraces._ A smile forms. She chortles small laughs._ Strange. I feel...happy. Safe around them. _Numerous shadows pat her shoulder, ruffle her hair, hug her tightly.

_But...why can't I see their faces? _Backs turned to her. Faces blacked out. Mouths moving, but hardly any sound escapes._ Why won't they let me see them? Ugh. _One figure stands out. He has his back to her. He's colored in. White pants, black shoes, and a past the waist navy sweater with lighter blue rims. Long luminescent blue hair.

_Isa? Isa! _The man she calls Isa walks away._ Wait...come back, Isa! Why are you leaving? _All the shadows face their backs to her. In sync they begin walking, fading in the darkness._ Wait...why are you all leaving? Come back! Ienzo! Aerith! Aqua! Grandpa!...DADDY! _

One after the other, the shadows and the light faded. Leaving her...in the dark. _Why? Why am I alone? _The girl sat on her knees, tears dripping to her the skirt of her pink dress. _Why did you all leave me? _

"_Because your darkness chased them away."_

_Who?_

"_You are the monster they all feared you would become."_

_That voice! Where is it coming from?_

"_They've all seen it. The awesome power you so desperately try to constrain. Unleashed on all in retaliation for the pain plaguing your heart._" Another figure emerged in the darkness. The shape was that of a girl. Her hair waving in the empty space. _"Inevitably it will consume you._"

_Who...who is that? Is that...supposed to me? _

_"The darkness will take your mind._" Piercing golden eyes flared open._ "Your body. Your soul. You will become the monster they fear._" Fangs shown in a wide, toothy, demonic grin._ "And everyone will know the darkness of your soul." _

_NO...get away from me! Stay away!_

In the voice that belonged to an aged man, the female figure spoke, "_You cannot escape me, Alirah. The darkness shall consume your heart…"_ Shadow claws erupted from the figure, fed by darkness pouring from it's very being. "_Your soul shall be mine!_" The claw darted forward, closing around the terrified child.

_Help me...help me...TERRA!_

**xxx**

Empty, hollowed halls churning with the saudade moans of the lost and parted. Ironic. Considering the very world those palace halls existed was no more than an empty fragment itself. Much like its humanoid counterparts, Metallic clasps of boot meeting a spiraling walkway were the sole true sounds of soulless bastion.

'_Help me...' _Black clad boots halted scaling a flight of marble stairs. Hued grey locks of hair tickled a tanned outer ear, carryign a familiar sound. '_Help me...'_ Dark, auburn eyes partially lidded soberly. The mysterious man took one more step up. '_TERRA!_' The eyes spanned wide. A muscular body whisked around. His eyes gaze out the window. The voice faded on the nonexistent breeze. That voice was not a trick on his mind.

"You're falling…" He extended a hand toward the window, grasping at a young girl he sees, beyond his reach, plummeting to her doom. "I...I cannot catch you."

**xxx**

An eerie whistle of wind traversed the vast, acreage of The Great Maw. A wide plane of rock, dust, and scars of a battle waged many years in the past. Lingering horrors soaked to the last grain of dust, crying hymns of the destruction Maleficent's tirade caused. Hollow cries of those who perished echoed. An unseen battle still taking place. History beckoning the outcome to change, when only tragedy awaits.

Steep, sheer rocky cliffs, smooth to the eye declined to an even stretch of land. Albeit a slope, or maybe a deep gash in the land or two. The cliffs stood tall. The top cut clean and flat, as if slice by the axe of a deity. On either side of the Maw's ends, auspicious bastions - castles worn and rotting - stood as sort of beacons. Beacons of what - the opinion rested with the hearts and minds of the people.

In the middle of the awe striking canyon lied three figures dressed in black cloaks. A boy, a girl, and a mouse. Neither one moved. Their breathing so shallow they were mistaken for dead.

Racing footsteps darted toward the unconscious trio. Mickey's ear twitched. The sounds coaxed something awake within him. But he would not fully awaken. Trauma to his small frame weighed unbearably like an anvil. Riku and Alirah - both released dry groans, resigned to the fatigue. Sore muscles thumped and fidgeted, jerking motion to the motionless figures. Piercing migraines were not what they wanted to begin rousing them.

Two approaching shadows loomed over the unconscious bodies of Mickey, Alirah, and Riku. Gentle hands propped Riku to a pink skirted lap. Two fingers pressed to a pulse point. Riku let out a groan that retracted the hand. His eyes opened for only a moment. A very dim sign of consciousness reflected before he slipped back into darkness.

Riku's eyes swayed from one side to the other, rolling to the back of his head. Shadows. There were so many shadows, fuzzy light blinding him. "_Ugh...an...pla...ah..._" He was weak. Coherent speech was too taxing. Riku slipped back into unconsciousness. Tension left his cheeks.

Another pair of hands tended to Alirah. "_No...no...get...Xeha..._" She groaned weakly. Two more figures appeared, rushing to Mickey's side. He was worse for wear as well. The only good sign is they were all alive. But they needed medical treatment right away.

"_Let us return them to my workshop._"

"_Yuffie, take Mickey._"

"_I've got Alirah._"

"_Then I'll take this kid._"

Riku was tossed onto a broad back. Mickey was cradled in small, strong arms. A tall woman supported Alirah. A wand was waved through the air. Glittering dust surrounded the group in a circle, creating a dome. In a flash a ball of light lifted them, transporting them from the maw.

On the ridge overlooking the maw, a pair of black boots turned on their heels, dismissing their host from the ledge.

**xxx**

_UGH...GH...ERGH...CAN'T...MOVE! _Arms and legs futilely tugged at jet black, noncorporeal bindings. A body violently thrashed in a lapping pool. A concoction of darkness stewed beneath the form, hugging effortlessly to his trapped body.

_Let go of me!_ He wrenched himself forward, jerking and wriggling fiercely. _LET...GO! _His waist lifted barely half a centimeter. Tentacles wrapped to his chest and waist, dragging him back to the pool._ NO! What is this?!_ The boy wrestled at the bindings. Misty flakes were broken free of the pool, wafting into a swirling torrent above. _Dammit! Let go!_

"_Let you go?_" A malevolent chuckle reverberated his pounding heart. "_How can it let go when you desperately cling to it?_"

_WHO'S THERE? Show yourself! _Frightened cerulean eyes darted in the darkness. The presence was obvious. A suffocating cloud he grew to find sickeningly familiar.

_"You try your hardest to distance yourself. You accept its power, but still fear its grip." _A tentacle wrapped to the pale neck, squeezing tightly. His wrists, ankles, and waist were squeezed. Pressure built throughout the body.

_Le...let go...stop!_

"_Never..." _The presence he sensed. It was on top of him. A flowing mass even darker than the space surrounding them had the boy pinned. He felt legs on either side of his hips, hands clamped to his entangled arms. The brunt of a full grown body was pressed to his. Even the breath was obvious. "_I will never let you go, Riku._"

_That...that voice. No...you can't be here..._

"_In the castle you finally allowed the darkness in. Welcomed 'me' with open arms._" Golden eyes pierced the dark, along with a toothy grin. Shadowed lips moved close to an ear. The shivering form made the smile widen. "_And now that you have, it will consume you and all that you love._"

_No. I...I won't let that happen._

"_In the end the choice will not be yours. Once darkness begins to breed,_" A hand rested square on his chest, "_Nothing will stop its birth." _Darkness seeped from the white gloved palm, spiraling over the yellow shirted chest. Tension choked the chest, clenching the heart inside in a vice. teeth clenched shut. Lips refusing to open and release the scream building in the throat. "_Your body shall be consumed..._" Cerulean eyes flew open, coated by a corruptive gold. The boys lips moved in sync with a final declaration, "_YOUR HEART WILL BE MINE!_"

**xxx**

"_Riku...Riku..._" A slurred voice echoed. "_Riku, wake up._" A hand shook a languid shoulder.

_Ansem…? _Heavy eyes weakly bounced open. The slurred voice belonged to a blurred figure hovering inches away.

"_Riku?_ _Can you hear me_?" The voice gradually cleared. _No...not Ansem. _It was a woman talking. What appeared to be a hand waved in his face.

"Hn...uhh..." Riku grunted dryly. From his shoulders to the tip of his twitching fingers muscles shifted. His brow knit, pouring stiff strength into opening his eyes.

"_I think he's coming around._" A second voice cheered. Another girl. _Not Alirah...who? _The haze gradually cleared from Riku's vision, but the veil clung to his head. Bright, blinding light filled the space, then vanished. Glossy green eyes greeted the weary boy. A familiar woman with brown hair beamed with relief.

"Aerith...?" He knew her. _Aerith..._She's Alirah's friends.

"Oh thank goodness!" Aerith placed her hand to her racing heart, resisting hugging him. She wasn't sure what brought it on. She was just so relieved to see him wake up. Riku was relieved to see a friendly face. He smiled at her, beyond glad it wasn't Ansem.

"Ow..." Riku touched his forehead, able to feel the migraine drilling in his skull.

"Welcome back to the living, Riku!" A peppy, Japanese girl waved her hands at him. Her high voice agitated the migraine.

Riku knew her too. It strained his sore brain trying to think of her name. Alirah must have talked about her a few times. _Y...you...ff..._Riku rested a palm over his eyes, blacking out the distracting scene. Her name was on the tip of his tongue. She folded her arms behind her back, leaning in close "Yuffie...?"

"That's right!" She gave him a thumbs up. "Nicely done!"

In the back of Riku's mind, he was sure he was ranting and raving about how he was sure they hadn't met. Yet, he felt guilty ignoring the feeling they had met. Both Yuffie and Aerith rang bells in his mind. And it's not because they're Alirah's friends. It's something else. He's met them somewhere once before. Trying to remember only aggravated his headache. Riku was so disoriented he didn't bother questioning how they knew him further. He doesn't recall meeting them. Or did he? It'll come to him whether or not they've met. Once the room stopped spinning.

Through wincing eyes he made out a rather large room. It too was familiar. A house? A hutt? He wasn't sure. Though the wide space scrolled past his dizzy perspective, his hazy mind failed to process where he was and who else was in the room. He dug his elbow into a cushion. It startled him. Turning his tender head to the side, which brought on a ringing headache, he was surprised to see a bed beneath him. He half expected grass or dirt. He was traveling the plains for so long, he'd come to expect harsh terrain when he next awoke.

"Ugh...where...am...I?" He slurred, shuffling to prop himself at a slight angle. The last few hours were a blur. He would admit that. But he was sure he hadn't fallen asleep in a bed. This made him question whether what he was seeing was real or a trick laid by the heartless. Aerith tenderly cradled his head, placing a second pillow beneath his head. The elevation helped his headache. The world started to clear up. It just made him all the more tense. "How did...I get here?!" He went on a rigid defense. He's had enough of waking up in strange places.

"You're safe! Relax!" Aerith tenderly reassured him. Riku winced, holding his pounding head. Aerith gracefully waved her hand. A healing spell jingled bells above Riku's forehead. Dust sprinkled evenly temple to temple, seeping beneath the skin. Riku felt a twinge of ringing pain assuage. Drumming gradually faded to a tolerable buzz. The ringing lingered a while. A flow of relaxation started to follow. "There you go. How do you feel?"

"Like...lead was put in my body." Riku grunted between words. "What happened to me? How did I get here? Why-" Aerith touched fingertips to his lips, halting the questions barrage.

"All in good time." She replied softly. She stroked hair from his brow. Fatigue was apparent on his face. Getting worked up would only hurt him. "You're all safe now."

"All? Alirah! Mickey! Where-" A door opened. Yuffie and Aerith moved to let Riku see. A gruff, stern looking man entered the house. He leered jadedly in Riku's direction. Riku matched his glare. While he's sure he's never met this guy, his head needn't be all there for him to discern someone carrying a grudge. Riku being awake displeased him greatly. Next, an old man dressed in a blue robe hobbled in. His long white beard swayed side to side. The tall, pointed cap he wore stroked the doorway upon entry. Riku recognized him. "Merlin."

"Ah, good. I see you've woken up." Merlin commended the boy, walking over to him. Riku groaned as an answer to Merlin's observation. "You had us worried, My Boy. Then again, I suppose I would sleep like the dead if I were as exhausted as you."

"Like the dead?" Riku shuddered. "Wait-"

Merlin ignored his plight. He pinched Riku's wrist between his thumb and index finger, checking a pocket watch. "Normal pulse…" He drew his wand from his open sleeve. He put the tip at Riku's chest and listened on the other end. "Heart sounds good." He twirled the wand and smacked Riku's knee.

"YOUCH!" Riku's whole body jolted.

"Reflexes satisfactory!" Merlin exuberantly announced. He slid the wand back in his sleeve. "My Dear Boy, you are the picture of health! Just get a little rest, drink some tea, and you'll be right as rain by the next morning."

"Grr…" Riku massaged his chest and knee. As if the headache wasn't a pain enough. "Keep poking me with that stick and you'll be the one with health problems!"

"With a mouth like that, a Keyblade is superfluous." The man from before leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. The glare never left his face. Riku's brow knit sharply. _How does he know I have a Keyblade?_

"Leon, if you persist to scowl like that your face will get stuck." Merlin pestered the man playfully. Leon huffed, turning his head away. Scuffling came at the open door. Riku stretched his neck to see who the approaching shadows belonged to. Alirah and Mickey nervously poked their heads inside. It killed every muscle, but Riku smiled seeing them safe.

"RIKU!" Alirah and Mickey darted to his side. Aerith and Yuffie wisely created a gap. Alirah practically slid on her knees to be right beside him. Mickey piggybacked on her. A smile controlled his entire face. "You're okay?" Her glossy eyes pleaded. Hiano slithered to Alirah's head. "How are you feeling?!" She cupped his hand, caressing his cheek.

"Better, now that you're here." He squeezed her hand, leaning into the hand.. She wasn't an illusion. None of them were. _We're safe. We're actually safe._ He cursed his silly guard. No way the darkness can mimic a girl like Aerith.

"Are you sure you're okay, my boy?" Hiano coiled on Riku's stomach. The bags and dark rings under his eyes aside, Riku appeared ragged. Worn out from a fight that should have ended at Castle Oblivion. "Perhaps more rest will do you well."

"I'm fine, Hiano. Really." Riku tried to assure him, petting his head. Truth is, there's a weight bearing on his chest he hasn't been able to shake.

Hiano was too perceptive a serpent. Riku is not the only one masking his agony. Alirah has hid her troubles behind a smile ever since she woke up. Little does she know, he's heard Xehanort's name leave her sleeping lips. Riku too continues to struggle against Ansem. Two shadows constantly following at their heels. The battle at Castle Oblivion was only a prelude. This saga was not yet finished.

"You had us scared for a while, there." Mickey added, patting Riku's leg, unaware Merlin tested his reflexes moments earlier. "You just kept tossing and turning. When we tried to wake you up, you'd just throw us off."

"S-Sorry." Riku groaned. The impression of fingers dug in his chest, surrounding where his heart would be. _I fought with Ansem...again._ He sank dismally. He collected himself seeing Alirah, Hiano, and Mickey ogle him pensively."Where are we?" He recovered.

"We're in Hollow Bastion. At Merlin's old home." Alirah filled him in, sitting on the edge of the bed. Riku wondered why the old cottage looked so familiar. Alirah brought him here once before. Although the place was in shambles last time. Renovations were underway. Coming along smoothly by the looks of the place. "Aerith and the others found us unconscious in the Maw and brought us here."

"How did we get here? To Hollow Bastion, I mean." There's that pounding again. Riku's head was a wreck. "The last thing I remember is being in the Plains." Mickey and the two were at a loss on that one.

"We were hoping you could tell us that!" Leon demanded more than he requested. While Alirah was able to jostle a half baked chuckle at Leon's abrasive tone, Riku found him as irksome as Hades. Possibly worse. "First Sora, Donald, and Goofy drop off the face of the universe, now you two appear out of nowhere worse for wear?" He shook his head skeptically. "Coincidence or intentional? Seeing as none of us know what went on after you were left alone with them!" He snapped derisively at Alirah. She somberly glanced toward the ground. She's forgotten a lot of things. Except Leon's anger cooking her like a hotdog. She's sure a hole was charring in her back.

Riku's had his fill of Leon's attitude. He threw himself to his feet, storming across the room. Mickey caught Hiano seconds before he hit the floor. "You got something you wanna say, _LEON_?" He challenged, completely ignoring the lightheadedness trying to drop him like a log. Leon pushed off the wall, heatedly meeting the shorter boy halfway. He scoffed at how bold the kid was considering the height and age difference. But that wasn't what fueled his dislike for the silver haired Keyblade wielder. "Well?! You've got a big mouth! Seem to enjoy spouting off with a foot inside it! Start talking!" Riku bared his teeth.

"I suggest you lie down, Junior!" Leon put his chest on Riku to make him back down. "That head injury is clouding your better judgement."

"What's the matter, Pops? Scared of wiping your ass on the floor?"

"Not before your head flies through that window!"

"Okay! Riku! Easy!" Alriah gripped his arm. Mickey pushed him by the legs. They'd hate to see a fight break out right now.

"Come on, Squall!" Yuffie and Aerith restrained Leon by both arms. "Tone it down!"

"That's _Leon_!" He stressed, ripping them off. "And you can't stand there and tell me you aren't thinking the same thing!" Aerith and Yuffie shied shamefully. Merlin cleared his throat, facing a wall. "Why is it Sora's gone and the two of you are here?" He accused them harshly. Alirah's expression dampened. Her hands slid from Riku.

"Why are asking us as if it's our fault?" Riku snapped back.

"Because he knows we worked for Maleficent." Alirah answered drearily. "And I promised _all_ of us would come back." Riku's outrage blew over. Those few words cleared the air in an instant. He parted two steps from Leon. He would never say it, but regret outlined his hesitant eyes. Alirah moved in front of him, approaching Leon confidently. "Sora, Donald, and Goofy are fine, Leon. They're holed up somewhere being taken care of."

"Are they alright?" Merlin asked fretfully.

"They're fine. They took a blow on their latest journey and are recovering."

"Latest journey?" Yuffie repeated confused. Alirah bit her tongue. "When did-"

Riku placed a hand over Alirah's mouth. "All you need to know is it's over, and those three will be back on their feet before we know it." He obscured his scowl at Alirah. She shrugged her shoulders, finding _sorry, _too weak a word. She needed careful with what she revealed. Too much would put the absent trio in danger all over again.

If what _Diz_ said is true, and a group known as The Organization was searching for him, it was imperative Alirah, Mickey, Riku, and Hiano keep what they know between them and them alone. Too many people knowing Sora's weakened and vulnerable condition will set him up as a lamb for slaughter. Namine would be hurt in the crossfire too.

With the special cloaks lent to them by Diz, Riku, Mickey, and Alirah are able to travel without drawing attention. Meaning it'll be difficult for The Organization to locate and pry the information out of them. The same is not said for Namine or anyone else they meet. Though strong in their own unique way, Leon and the others would be pulverized before the Nobodies broke a sweat. Yet another pile of bodies to be added on Riku and Alirah's conscience.

As they speak, Namine is working tirelessly on putting Sora's memories back the way they were. Because she pieced them apart, and replaced them with false ones, it will take her an insurmount of time to fix them. In the mean time, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were sleeping in pods located within Castle Oblivion. Doubtful Namine planned to keep them there for too long. The commotion may provoke the Organization to send search parties. Nevertheless, Sora's location is kept hush-hush until Namine finished. Who knows how long that will take.

"Speaking of recovering," Mickey decided to get in on the conversation, "How have all of you been?"

"We're awesome, actually, Your Majesty!" Yuffie boasted. "By the way, it's great to finally meet you in person!" She bounced him, shaking his hand animatedly. "Donald and Goofy speak highly of you."

"GO~O~OSH!" Mickey's voice jumbled. Yuffie stopped shaking him long enough for him to form a sentence. "I'm...happy...BRR," He shook off the dizziness, "They found you guys. They were in good hands. Alirah's told me a lot about you guys too."

"Oh has she?" Yuffie grinned like a cat. Alirah's face turned cherry red. Yuffie giggled childishly, running to Alirah and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. "AW! I knew our little Li-Li had a soft spot. Just takes a bit to get it out of her. Here's one way." She showed Alirah a picture of old faces who used to live there. Scrooge, the nephews, and a few others. "People are starting to return in waves. Soon things will be back to normal. We're thinking of forming a Restoration Crew, rebuilding the town into something new."

"That's great, Yuffie!" Alirah hugged her, happy to hear her old home was on the mend. "I'm glad you guys are doing alright. These last few days were...hazardous on my nerves."

"No kidding!" Yuffie squished Alirah's cheeks, shaking her around. "What happened to those pudgy, happy, girly cheeks? These ones are so tired out and worn they feel like leather." Riku, Aerith, Mickey shared a laugh at her expense. Hiano, Leon, and Merlin stifled a snort. "And the all black, goth motif has to go. I miss you in shorts, and skirts. These make you look...evil." She said like a maniacal gremlin.

"You think so?" Alirah fanned the cloak. "I think its becoming." She batted her eyes.

Riku rolled his eyes. Alirah knew how to stroke her own ego. When he thought about it, he supposed the cloaks did raise a few red flags. "You said people were returning home. Does that mean the princesses too?"

"Oh yes!" Merlin replied excitedly. He drew his wand. With wand and swish he conjured astral projections of each of the Princesses homes. "When the worlds returned, the Princesses were almost immediately swept away, returned safely to their homes. By all assurances, they're doing quite fine. Shaken up - as to be expected." Mickey and Hiano released relieved breaths. They were so glad to hear that. "Which reminds me, Alirah, Snow White wished me to convey a message." Alirah went on edge. "She said…" He tapped his throat, "_You promised to make things up to us. Don't you forget._" Alirah crumbled to decayed stone. His mimicry magic needled her to the bone.

"Remind me, Alirah," Riku mocking draped an arm around her shoulder, "When did the princesses have you whipped?"

"Around the same time Sora whipped you." She poked his chin. Riku dropped his head. That stabbed him right in the pride. "I'm actually glad Merlin brought it up. I promised Snow and the others I'd make things up to them."

"I hear ya." Riku rotated his shoulder, cracking his neck and back. "I need to get back to the Islands and make sure everyone's alright." He never imagined he'd hear himself say that. Not long ago, he wanted so badly to get off that rock. Now he couldn't wait to go back.

"But first you need to rest!" Merlin interjected sternly. He circled his wand, creating four cups of herbal, honeyed tea. "You lot may be able to walk about, but you are - by no means - in any sort of shape to travel." He distributed the tea. The last was placed on the table for Hiano. "Understand that I, more than anyone, fathom the importance of your mission. However, rest and recuperation are as vital a tool as the Keyblade. Do not take them for granted."

Mickey and Hiano's yawns strengthened Merlin's case. Alirah and Riku reluctantly agreed. It's been a while since they've been allowed to rest somewhere secure. Sleeping on actual beds didn't seem like a bad idea either. Unfortunately, being back in Hollow Bastion, Alirah's sense of adventure granted her a jolt of extra energy.

"No arguments here." Riku stiffly lied down, rolling to have the wall face him. The bed's cushion feel was already putting him on the brink of sleep. "Wake me up when September Ends."

"But it's August." Alirah droned disparagingly.

"Exactly." Riku erected a finger. Hiano wasn't complaining. He found an open cabinet as good a place as any. He's been stuck in his charm for so long it was becoming a prison. He closed the doors and threw himself in the thrall of a power nap. Mickey sat at a wall, nesting comfortably.

Alirah rolled her eyes. Men loved to sleep. "Would it be alright if I tour the town a bit? I'm kinda...in a reminiscing mood."

"Go on ahead." Yuffie permitted. "Sure you can find your way around? It's not the way it used to be."

"I think I can manage." She winked, heading to the door. She stopped in the doorway a moment. "Leon?" He tilted his head. "That dark place - I'm not quite out yet. Think you can wait a while longer?"

Leon huffed under his breath, folding his arms. "Just make sure you get those milkshakes, and I'll think about it." Aerith cupped her hands to her heart, glowing happily. Alirah snickered quietly, then left to venture into the shambled world.

Riku, Hiano, and Mickey closed their poked open eyes, wanting to get as much rest as possible. They had a long road ahead of them.

**xxx**

Bandit Heartless native to Agrabah had Roxas and Xion surrounded. Fat Bandits were on the rise, covering the flanks to halt any attempts to escape. Xion and Roxas were exasperated from fighting the last three groups of heartless. The fidgeting shadows were a big enough pain when they weren't flattening to the sand. Then these sword wielding maniacs emerged out of the woodwork to hassle them. Now there are fat ones who spit fireballs on a regular basis.

"Ready, Xion!" Roxas barked, burning hateful holes in the encroaching heartless. His keyblade materialized in his hands.

"Y-Yeah!" Xion dropped to her battle stance, summoning her keyblade to her hands.

They roared animally, jumping into the prancing fray. A few quick slashes of their keyblade dismissed their heartless back to the darkness. The hearts they captured ascended, joining the magnificent Kingdom Hearts.

"Phew. That wasn't so tough." Roxas joked, wiping sweat off his brow. "Geeze. Hardly seemed like work at all."

"Then I guess you don't need ice cream?" Xion teased. "Since you didn't work as hard as I did."

"Whoa now! Let's not go crazy." The two laughed at one another. It sort of felt good. After all that fighting, it was nice to have a moments peace. "Hey, have you heard anything about what happened at Castle Oblivion?"

Xion shook her head regretfully. "Saix and the others are looking into it, but still aren't sure what happened to everyone who went." She propped an elbow on her hand, cupping her cheek with her free one. She mourned for those sent to Castle Oblivion, sad that they will not return. She assumed, what she was _feeling_ was sadness. "None of them are sure if they've gone into hiding, or were…" She trailed off, reluctant to finish.

"Oh. Okay." Roxas moaned, lowering his head somberly.

"Roxas? Are you...alright?" She hesitated a second, then carefully set her hand to his shoulder. Roxas didn't acknowledge her. He was lost in thought. "Is it...about Axel?"

"Yeah…" He sighed. Xemnas reported the team sent to Castle Oblivion was eliminated. Not a single person has reported back. Axel was amongst the team sent to Castle Oblivion. _Axel can't be gone. He can't be!_

"Riku...and Alirah…"

"Huh!" The names shocked Roxas from his daze.

Xion stroked her lips familiarly. The names rolled off her tongue with such ease. "The names...they sound familiar, don't they?" She tilted her head. It might be her imagination. But she's sure she's heard those names somewhere before.

"They're the people Xemnas warned us about." Roxas reminded her. "The two who helped whatever-his-name-is kill everyone is Castle Oblivion!" He snarled venomously. He clenched his fingers into a vengeful fist. _The ones who killed Axel!_

"No, not like that." Xion protested. "I mean, I think I've heard their names some place else."

"Really? Where?" Roxas asked, interested if Xion to give insight on her friend's assassin.

"I'm...not sure." Xion held the side of her head. Roxas may be right. She might know their names from Xemnas's briefing. If that's true, _Why am I happy when I say their names?_ "Maybe I'm just imagining things."

"Or you're working too hard." Roxas shook her by the shoulder. He snapped his fingers in her face, snapping her out of her daze. "Let's RTC for the time being; report to Saix. We just have one more mission after that and we'll be able to have ice cream and relax later."

"Sounds good." Xion brightened. "Where's our next mission?"

"Saix said he'd fill us in, but I think he called it Travis...something or other." He scoffed at himself not knowing the name. It was probably something simple that completely slipped his mind.

Xion opened a portal this time around, entering first to report to the castle. As Roxas was about to enter, the names Riku and Alirah tingled his tongue. "Riku...Alirah…" He touched his lips like Xion did. They were warm to him. As if he's said their names before. "Do I...do _we_ know them?"

**To be continued**

**Next chapter is up.**


	5. Parting Ways

**Parting Ways**

**Moving on.**

**xxx**

"WOOOW...!" Alirah's eyes twinkled. Shooting stars raining across the night sky. Glowing, luminescent streams made the other stars twinkle, like they were cheering for their exploring friends. Alirah chased after them, pretending that she was going to catch them. Her small hands out, catching the misty night air. "W-WHOA!" Her foot stepped on air. A plummeting fall at the sloping ledge of the summit. Alirah waved and thrashed her arm, weaving to fall back. Instead her grounded foot slipped.

"GOTCHA!" She was yanked by the collar. Her feet dangled briefly in midair. She crashed into a firm chest and hit the ground. She lied on the hyperventilating chest of her savior, hyperventilating herself. "ARE YOU...CRAZY?!" Terra reprimanded her. "I know Aqua taught you to watch where you walk, right?"

"I think I skipped that lesson." Alirah rolled on her stomach, propping her chin flirtatiously on her hands lying on him. "Ven took me out for ice cream."

"Remind me to kill him." Terra scooped her up, sitting her on his lap. He swung his legs off the ledge, getting in a comfortable position to continue watching the stars with Alirah.

The stars were raining in gradually increasing clusters, blossoming a haze beyond the mountainous horizon. The alluring lights reflected in Alirah's sparkling red orbs. Terra chuckled in amazement, inspired by the dancing sky. Alirah leaned forward, reaching for the sky.

"Careful. I don't need you falling again."

"No worries." Alirah cuddled to his chest, tilting her head back to him. "If I fall you'll just catch me again, right?"

"Ha-ha! If I do, you won't learn anything." Alirah angrily puffed her cheeks. She surpised Terra when she pushed him down, started tickling his ribs. "HEY-HA, HA, HA -C'MON-HA, HA, HA - STOP IT!" Her fingers tickled at the speed of light.

"Say you'll catch me! Say it!"

"OKAY! OKAY!" He rasped between laughs. Alirah's fingers steadily stopped. Terra was relieved to have fresh air flowing in his lungs. "Okay...I'll catch you."

"You mean it?" She glowered.

"Yeah." He wrapped his arms around her, ruffling her hair. "No matter what. I'll always catch you." ... ... ...

**xxx**

Hollow Bastion's shambled land sent Alirah down a spiral. Caught her in a depression that seemed to be her best friend every other two days. The time she spent under Maleficent's thrall, it never occurred to her how close the town was and she was subconsciously avoiding visiting it. The first time she set foot in the town was when she led Riku on her memory lane. Even then she kept herself in one area. She would feel queasy just sitting in Merlin's home. As she found her way to what was named the "Restoration Site," her stomach and chest did a complete 360 flip.

"What did I help her do?" Alirah hugged herself tight, trying to stifle the nausea of her idiotic actions. "What...have _I_ done?" Wanton, mindless destruction, harming hundreds to thousands of people - the dominations of countless worlds for a single dominion basked in _glorious_ darkness. "I helped her do this." She cursed herself. "For my own selfish ambitions, I helped Maleficent speed up her rampage."

So much has changed over the years. Alirah barely recognized it. This wasn't the Hollow Bastion she knew. _Hollow Bastion? Didn't it go by another name? _This place she once called home - a land thriving in light and bliss - was a shattered mess of its former self. The bailey high enough to allow a view to the Great Maw. A desolate canyon of rock and isolation. Villains Villa was just beyond it. Maleficent's hideout away from the castle she claimed as her own. Stone stairs cracked and sundered, falling apart at the seams. A towering wall serving as a border between the town and Maw was a sneeze away from crumbling. Alirah was nervous to know what state the Castle's lower interior was in.

"When's the last time I visited the old labs?" She pondered. Must have been before Merlin sent her to Mickey's Castle. She never went lower than the rising falls to see the ground levels. Alirah took a deep breath and climbed the hill to the old labs. "I wonder if she destroyed that too. Egh. Probably looks better." She puffed her bangs exasperated. "Even's _experiments_ always called for 20 coats of paint. After Briag was done shooting mindlessly at the walls."

**xxx**

"AACHOO!"

Xigbar scared Demyx's Sitar right out of his hands. The teen looked for the instrument, baffled as to where it went. _BONK!_ It dropped on his head then back in his lap. "Oww…! Ya know, you could warn a person!" He snarled.

"Chill out, Kid, and get some ice for the bump." Xigbar passively snorted, lying back with his hands behind his head on the lounge's couch. "Ha-ha! A beautiful lady somewhere is callin' my name."

"Calling you? Please!" Demyx pouted like a puppydog, prodding the swelling bump. He nulled the throbbing mocking Xigbar's delusion. "Maybe to change your diaper, old man."

"Hey! Respect your elders!" Xigbar scolded, falling asleep. "I'll have you know the ladies flocked for miles-"

"To escape your bad breath." Demyx flamboyantly grandstanded, pinching his nose. He laughed out loud. A pillow hit his face. He glared beyond the sticking feathers. He spat a couple unamused.

**xxx**

"Whoa..." Alirah's mouth gaped the farther back her head tilted. Wasn't exactly out of amazement. More like woeful disbelief. The upper half of the castle, while currently being dismantled, was in better shape than the lower half. It's been neglected for years. "Ansem's head would exploded twice if he saw this." She was living above that lab all that time. She wondered if the aftermath of Maleficent's daily tyranny contributed. "Maybe it's best if I don't tell _Diz_ about this." She won't have to worry. Who knows when she'll see him again?

Alirah meandered up the stairs entering the Postern. She peered past the wall's gaps to see the entrance to the lab untouched. Judging by the debris, the inside was going to look worse. She's almost scared to go in.

"Wonder what the old training hall looks like." She climbed on the gap in the wall, jumping to the lab entrance. A cold, ominous breeze brushed past her cheeks, carrying the scent of chemicals, body odor, and day old pizza and ice cream. She laughed at the smell. "We never could clean up after ourselves." She entered the dim corridor, ready to meet the past.

A blacked out mass of a hunched figure emerged behind her. No definable features or marking. Piercing gold eyes and a malevolent smile shone clear as day.

**xxx**

Xion and Roxas returned to the castle and gave Saix an update on their visit. Nothing too significant to mention. A so called street rat, and a fat cat guy lurking around. A peddler or two claiming to have genies in bottles. But all in all a pretty straight forward visit. They collected a substantial amount of hearts, more than their last mission. That earned them a couple of points. With Saix, though, it was hard to tell if you've pleased him or killed his puppy. Maybe he just looks like that.

"Satisfactory work." Saix halfheartedly praised. Not that he had half a heart to praise them with. Xion and Roxas felt like Saix was talking to drying paint. "Tomorrow, Roxas, you will be sent to a refugee world - Traverse Town. Reports of increased Heartless activity have come in."

"Xion's not coming?" Roxas asked perturbed.

"Do you require Xion to hold your hand on every mission? Or do you hold hers?"

Roxas grit his teeth. "That's not what I meant!" He spat. "We seem to work well together. I've heard you value efficiency above all else!"

"Indeed I do. And the _efficient_ plan is to send you to Traverse Town while Xion goes with Demyx to Neverland." Roxas bit his tongue and refrained from arguing further. Besides, Demyx could use the back up. And Saix isn't the type of guy you want to question for too long. "You both are dismissed." Saix turned his back to them, admiring the heart shaped moon.

Xion wasted no time leaving. She wanted to go to her room and rest before Demyx drove her nuts tomorrow. Roxas lingered a moment with something on his mind.

"Saix…" He beckoned warily. "Have I...would you even know, if I met Alirah and Riku."

Saix's shoulder jerked at the names. He turned his head slightly. His thick bangs hid his scowl. "Why do you ask such a ridiculous question? What purpose does it serve you?"

"It's just their names sound really familiar, and it doesn't seem odd at all that I know them." He explained pensively, conveying that nagging feeling in the back of his mind. "Xion thought so too. She's sure she's heard their names somewhere. She seemed happy about it."

"Preposterous!" Saix spat, spinning to him. Roxas flinched back. "Happiness is not an emotion we feel! We DO NOT feel! Therefore, Xion is in more dire need of rest than assumed!" Roxas almost regretted asking. "And second: forget about Alirah and Riku! While searching for them is a priority, it is not a number one concern! Put them out of your mind and complete your work!"

"R-Right. Sorry. Going!" Roxas bee lined straight out of the lounge.

Saix nibbled on his lower lip, fuming at Kingdom Hearts. "Keep that filthy traitor out of mind!" He hissed at himself. "She is a liar, a manipulator...lethal vermin worse than a plague with a cute face." He slapped a hand over his mouth. "No! No! Do not go back there!" His teeth lengthened into fangs. "This is how she operates! This is how she'll stab you in the back!"

**xxx**

"IENZO! ISA! WAIT UP!" Alirah waved, sprinting after them. Her slapping sandals bounced off the hallway walls. The two snickered at her, waiting as she caught up. "Sorry...I'm late." She lurched, hands on her knees to regain breath. "Merlin needed me...to clean his small beakers."

"Doesn't the old man clean his own stuff?" Isa scoffed.

"He says," She put on her best Merlin scowl, and used her fingers as a mustache and beard, "_The true appreciation for cleanliness is to clean for others. No-no! Books first!_" Isa and Ienzo held their stomachs laughing so hard. Ienzo had to leaned on the wall. Isa had tears in his eyes.

"How many times...has he used...that one?!" Ienzo's side stitched.

"By that top notch impression, every day since she moved here!" Isa slapped his knee.

"Come on! We need to hurry!" Alirah was still laughing when she grabbed them by the hand and dragged them down the corridor. "Master Ansem's gonna kill us if we're late!"

"Wouldn't wanna be late for a lecture." Isa remarked sarcastically.

"Better than being stuck with Braig and Aeleus in the training hall." Ienzo countered. Isa shuddered. ... ... ...

The gleeful shadows dashed right by Alirah, just as time seemed to fly right by. She watched her memories. Her bangs may have obscured the glossiness, but the tears streaming to her chin gave it away. All the times she begged and pleaded with Merlin to let her visit them. The ice cream, the pizza, the disciplinary actions - all of it went to dust.

As she was wandering the corridors, she paused regularly at every significant spot. Lea crushing her back, Braig laying her out flat, Even getting her and Ienzo stuck to the ceiling by his own brand of gum. The fallen rock and warped metals aside, Alirah's delusions put back in an immaculate corridor being toured by aged old men with furrowed brows. All the while she and the kids played pranks and tried to get out of lessons.

The end of her memory lane came at Ansem the Wise's door. Opening the door, what was once an office so neat and clean it hurt your eyes was now a disheveled warzone. Books everywhere, papers scattered, broken glass, and years worn drawings on the walls. Alirah snorted, shaking her head reminiscently. She traced her fingers on the drawings, her head spinning trying to comprehend the complex math. Flakes stuck to her tips.

"I knew you scribbled on walls." She ground the flakes. "Bet your head would paint them after it exploded." She addressed the mess. Ansem valued order. This room was utter chaos.

Alirah sat down in Ansem's chair, taking a proud, ego stroking moment to savor it. She's always wanted to sit in it. She couldn't resist spinning, laughing like a kid again. She sat in it once. Ansem lifted her right out, putting her in a dunce cap on a stool. The occasion was spoiled rotten through and through when the chair stopped her at a portrait of sickeningly familiar man.

Lab coat like Even, Ansem's and Ienzo's. _He worked under Ansem._ The tanned skin...dreadful grey hair...eyes that were not his. She grit her teeth, shooting from the seat. It toppled over, breaking more glass. She slammed a fist at the stoic face, hoping, wherever that monster was hiding, could feel it. _His eyes should be blue...not brown. The brown should be on his hair!_ She drew blood biting her lip. The tears kept flowing, tearing her heart in half as the older man in the phot regressed to Terra. "I couldn't save you! I tried! I wasn't...strong enough to..." She waveringly touched the cheek of the portrait. How she wished it was Terra's real face. How she wanted to breakdown and fall to her knees, scream until her voice broke and he would come make the tears stop. "It hurts...Terra. It hurts a lot." She sobbed, clenching her chest. "I couldn't save any of you! I LET HIM TAKE YOU ALL!" She surrendered to her cries, falling to her knees with her arms to the wall. Three charms fell out of her pocket. Her tear filled eyes registered a book, axe-sword, and shield. The smiling faces of Ienzo, Aeleus, and Even made her cry harder. "If only I wasn't such a coward. If only...I had tried harder..."

A man in a long grey and black coat observed her from the doorway. His hands folded behind his back he entered, "Still shedding a tear over the past I see." Alirah's crying stopped on a dime. She hurriedly dried her tears, collected the dropped charms, and rose to her feet. She almost dropped to them again seeing who had entered the room. The old man of her oldest nightmares.

"Xeha...nort...?!" He chuckled at her surprise. "No! It can't be! You can't be here!" She summoned Oblivion. "It's not possible!"

"It isn't. Because I am not him." Xehanort opened his arms, displaying himself. He snorted at his form, almost disappointed. "To be frank, I am not entirely real."

Alirah lowered Oblivion in confusion. She was disgusted the tiniest piece of her bought the oldest excuse in the book. Her trip through Castle Oblivion opened her mind to consider _seeing isn't believing._ Getting a better look, Xehanort was different from before. Less menacing. Dawning her gold eyes, Xehanort wasn't projecting his usual blue aura. In fact there was nothing there. Xehanort vanished into thin air. Returning to red, he reappeared. It gave her a started. She itched her head baffled.

"Before you ask, you didn't hit your head any harder than you normally would." He snidely mocked her. "Though I'm sure you're numb to head traumas by now." Alirah grunted, suspicious clenching her lips. _Sure doesn't sound like Xehanort. _

"Then what are you?" She spat, keeping Oblivion at the ready.

"What, indeed." The _false _Xehanort crooned, tapping his chin. He strolled around the room, stalking Alirah with his hungry gaze. "Castle Oblivion - a Castle fueled by the memories of its inhabitants; regardless of stay. Ansem and Xehanort - manifestations of not only memories, but the darkness festering in yours and Riku's hearts."

"Is there a point in this long, drawn out lecture?!" Alirah impatiently circled her hand. _Am I sure this isn't Xehanort?_

"The Castle freed a great many of secrets about you and Riku." Xehanort swooped around, invading Alirah's personal space well beyond the border. "Crowned realizations of your weaknesses and hindrances, shedding them in the light for all to see. A couple of times," He cupped her cheek, pressing a thumb just beneath her eye, "Forcing you to unleash your dark counterparts." Alirah's eyes widened. In the Castle, she lost herself twice - Lexaeus and Xehanort's fights. Spiraling into the harsh eyes transfixed on her, Xehanort's appearance flashed between that form, his smile widening.

"You're...that's not...how?" Her mind couldn't form a decent sentence. Saying something was impossible was no longer viable. The impossible has been made real and is becoming part of daily life every day. Despite skeptics trying to disprove them.

"I am that which you still fear. Your inner necromancer." He slowly slithered his hands away, flicking her under the chin. he touched his chest, "I've just taken a form more to my liking."

"So the old coot still has a hold." She frothed venomously.

"Did you honestly expect him to lose it?" He chuckled "So long as there is fear in your heart, he will never part."

"I am not afraid of him!"

"Oh yes you are! You're more afraid of him now than you were in the castle!"

"That's a lie!"

"The only remnant of him left is the one resembling Terra!" He shot back. Alirah fell silent. "The one in that portrait."

"You..._we_ don't know what he looks like!"

"Oh-ho! Suddenly we're a _we_?" Xehanort's appearance rippled to a haze, downgrading into the gold eyed, darkly robbed girl claiming to be Alirah's other self. "With the way you lock me up, I've developed my own individual sense of self." She flipped her blue hair, and fixed her black and red, stomach split tunic. Maybe it's because Alirah's known Xehanort for so long that her _Necromancer_ adopted portions of his personality. Including his love for stabbing her denials. "For example: Master Zead's letter said what this Xemnas guy looked like Terra. Ansem, our Heartless acquaintance, resembled the old man. You're really going to stand there and tell me-"

"Xemnas looks NOTHING like Terra! THAT," Alirah jabbed the picture, close to tearing it, "Looks nothing like Terra!"

"Are you sure you're sure? Or are you just sick of the old faces not belonging to the people you knew?"

"Wanna know what I am sick of?" The Necromancer folded her arms, raising an intrigued brow. "You waking me up at night! Not even Hiano bugged me this much!"

The Necromancer scrunched her nose, getting in Alirah's face, "I don't bend over backwards for a failed master." She snarled scathingly. "Chernabog and Hiano believed you accepted your role. Truth is, the only thing you've _accepted_ is that you can't get rid of them! No matter how hard you try to suppress them!" The Necromancer's fingers were prodding her shoulder, but it felt more like a knife boring into her. "Grandpa's decision to name you master was premature." That was the knife to plunge deep. Her wound, now a scar, where Ansem stabbed her throbbed. "Expect another chat soon." The Necromancer vanished on a nonexistent breeze.

Alirah's strength faded. She caught herself on the desk, her heart pounding. She held her light head, trying not to throw up. Although it could only improve the room. '_Grandpa's decision to name you master was premature._' Worst part was she's right.Alirah hadn't gained control of anything. She didn't conquer anything except her memories. The dark powers inside her were still terrifying. Xehanort still plagued every corner.

"I don't deserve to be a master."

**xxx**

Riku was wrapped in the warm blanket of sleep. An old mattress with exposed springs was ideal compared to sleeping on not so plush grass and dirt. That heavy feeling normally crushing every fiber of his being was a godsend. He'd never felt so relaxed. So safe. So secure. True he wanted to venture out and tour the town, explore horizons he hadn't had a chance to explore, but he was too tired to think let alone move. He stayed sleeping on his side, fearing if her flipped or changed positions he'd wake up. And right about now he was dreaming of being back on the islands.

"Yess...sleep, my little puppet." A pair of dark lips smirked by his ear. White gloved fingers gently stroked hair behind it. "Sleep. Open yourself to the dark rapture. Let it take you further; melt in it's embrace." Riku's face scrunched. His fingers clawed the pillow. Darkness wafted in a mist, feeding the silver haired figure standing over him. "Can you feel it? The strength the darkness offers? The strength _I_ empower you with?"

"Hnn…" Riku curled in, shivering. The hand moved Riku onto his back, exposing the black hole swirling in his chest.

"Fight all you want. Resist until your body collapses. Run as far as the End of Worlds…" The hand dipped into the hole. Riku tensed, grunting in discomfort. His chest compressed, ready to break in half. "You will never escape me." His fingers opened. "YOUR HEART WILL BE MINE!" The hand snapped to Riku's heart.

"NO!" Riku flew forward, panting heavily. Sweat beaded down his brow. As his eyes adjusted, he found himself in Merlin's home. He started to calm down. The day went by faster than he realized. It was remarkably dark. Merlin, Yuffie, Aerith, and Leon were gone. Probably getting back to work. Mickey and Hiano were still fast asleep. Riku stretched, shaking off the drowsiness. He felt good. Sleep did him wonders.

"Hmm…" Riku touched his ear. He swore he heard someone talking. Someone. As if he didn't know whose. "Ansem…" He snarled the name. He placed a hand over his heart, able to feel his menacing hand crushing it to dust. "Grr...he's still there. Why? I-" Mickey snorted in his sleep, turning on his side. Riku couldn't think aloud here. Mickey's done so much for him already. He needed some air.

Swinging to the floor, Riku tiptoed ever so quietly to the door. The creaking hinges made him cringe. Neither Hiano nor Mickey woke up. Thank goodness. He closed the door, taking care to suppress the click of the hinge. He needed time to think. Mickey and Hiano wouldn't be able to help him with this problem.

Stairs seeming to lead to a view grabbed his attention. He could use a clear view for the cloud in his head.

**xxx**

"_Well, well, well,_" An echoing voice brought ice to Alirah's spine, "_Will the nostalgia never cease._" Alirah whipped around, fortifying in her defensive stance.

A black feather drifting to the ground, swaying daunting side to side. Alirah's trembling eyes leered hatefully. '_The same black feather...leading to Zack with a sword in his back._'The feather touched the metal sheeted floor, then bloomed into a streak of piercing light. Alirah threw an arm up. The enveloping light seeped in her skin, piercing her to the core. It wasn't hurting her, but it wasn't comfortable either. The light was peeling her, prickling like dull knives.

The light faded after a while. Alirah slowly opened her eyes. The world cleared from its blur. She gasped in horror, frozen in place by abject fear. Fear she's only felt once before; when Zack's life came to a bloody end. A foreboding figure with long silver hair and a haunting single black wing was born of the scathing light. A ridiculously long, stainless Katana, drenched with the blood of its victims. That contemptuous smile, those empty blue eyes...

"Sephiroth..." Her strength abandoned her uttering his name.

"It's been quite a long time...Alirah." He chortled her name, savoring never forgetting her. As he's sure she's never forgotten him. He scrolled his gaze up and down her shivering figure. Dark mist amassed, howling in a flare from her. Her shivering, meek presence belied the warrior she direly kept restrained. "My how you've grown. I almost didn't recognize you." He purred, smirking devilishly. The girl before him was different from the girl in the Coliseum.

"Same here. I didn't recognize you with blood soaked in your clothes!" She growled venomously. Zack's blood.

"Still carrying that grudge on your shoulders, I see." Sephiroth nonchalantly remarked. "Tell me, is Cloud harboring similar resentment toward you?" He already knew the answer. Cloud and Alirah's rivalry - grudge match - became stuff of legend amongst those attending the Coliseum battles three years ago. "How is Cloud these day?"

"C-Cloud's not here! How the Hell would I know!" She hissed. Mentally she cursed her stammering. She swallowed before continuing. "I don't give him much thought these days! Go ask him yourself!" _Cloud's all you care about anyway. _It's far from bold to accuse Sephiroth for having ulterior motives for approaching Alirah. Usually Cloud is conveniently close by. Or that used to be the case. She hasn't come across _the real_ Cloud since joining Hades at the Coliseum.

"Such aggression." Sephiroth responded, feigning hurt. "And here I was hoping you've put the past behind you." He narrowed his eyes, admiring her scornful reactions. "You are, after all, hoping to reforge broken bonds."

"I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" She exploded, shrieking shrilly. Golden shaded her demonically narrowed eyes. Tears welled in the corners, shaken loose by her trembling rage. She clawed her aching heart, succumbing to the darkness memories. "You..." '_Zack's lifeless expression...blood pooling around him._' "You killed him...YOU STOLE ZACK FROM! FROM CLOUD! I WON'T..." She flourished her hand to the side, "EVER..." Oblivion appeared in a thundering smoke. Sephiroth quirked a brow. "FORGIVE YOU!" Darkness gathered at her soles, launching her across the postern. Sephiroth indifferently followed her leaping into the air. Her speed, her strength, her powers - _A new class of warrior iis attacking me._ The Keyblade raised above her head. She slashed down. The Keyblade seemed to move in slow motion. Sephiroth simply idling as it drew closer. _However..._Then he smirked. The keyblade came a hair from connecting to his divided bangs and he disappeared. "WHERE-" She touched ground. The space shifted behind her. She whirled around. A hand clamped to her neck, squeezing so hard she let go of Oblivion. It dispersed in light particles. She kicked as she was lifted, prying animally at Sephiroth's hand. _She's not nearly strong enough._

"I am impressed. You powers have matured farther than I anticipated." He stated, ignoring her struggling. "The shackles anchoring them have been loosened greatly, but not released. You still keep them leashed. Too afraid of losing control." Alirah stopped fighting, taken aback by his summation. _How...how could he possibly-_ "The revelation was your attack. The powers begins to flow, strengthening you. Then you cut it off prematurely, becoming weak in the heat of battle." The way Sephiroth spoke, he wasn't referring to her blind attack. He led Aliah back three years to when she and Cloud foolhardily rushed Sephiroth. "The same restraint you implemented that cost Zack his life." Sephiroth released her. Alirah dropped to her knees, choking as air flooded her lungs. "So long as you fear these awesome powers, insist on confining them - loss will be your shadow. It will swallow you, leaving nothing by decayed remains."

"What do you know?!" Alirah screeched, pins and needles in her throat. "What gives you the right...to lecture me?!"

"Because I am the darkness Cloud refuses to accept. Your necromancer is a victim of similar contempt." Alirah blinked astonished. In her mind she called him a liar. But in her heart, she knew it he was right. "So long as that's the case," Sephiroth strutted past her, "Your journey will end before it begins."

Sephiroth sounded like her Necromancer. The longer she fights what's apart of her, the worse off she'll be. And the more loved ones she'll lose. "Wait! Seph-"

"Only you have the potential to tame your Necromancer!" He abruptly interrupted.

"Tame it?"

"When you have, you and I will meet again." He spread his one wing. "Be prepared." Rising into the air, the same light that he emerged from swallowed him, leaving Alirah with a difficult decision.

'_I don't bend over for a half baked master!_' The Mancer's voice taunted. '_Grandpa's decision to name you master was premature._' She tugged at her black sleeve. '_So long as you fear these awesome powers, insist on confining them - loss will be your shadow._' She gazed fearfully at her elongating shadow.'_It will swallow you, leaving nothing by decayed remains._' Returning her to the soulless doll that Maleficent employed.

Rifling in her pocket, Alirah opened her hand, revealing Hiano's charm. The lengths she went through to get him back, to live up to his expectations of a master. Has she failed him? Or is she simply not ready to call herself his master? "Hiano...Grandpa…"

**xxx**

The Bailey. Riku thought he was crossing over to a whole new world of Hollow Bastion. The tunnel and newly installed gates were a nice touch. And smart. Riku sensed Heartless frequently visit on their spare time. Seeing as they aren't very smart, the gate would throw them off,, force them to retreat for a time. It was still a work in progress. The gaping holes in the floor for example. Stacks of wood and concrete awaiting use. And some rope serving as outlines for other measures Leon and the others might be planning to install. Either that or someone got an artistic flare idea.

Wind from a carved out window gusted his hair, taking him by surprise. Braving the wind, Riku approached the window. The fantastic view beyond it was mindblowing. A vast land of hills and craters, the villa Maleficent often used - Riku wondered how anyone, or why anyone, would destroy a marve such as this world. "And I helped her along."

Riku pressed his hands to the opening wall, leaning with guilt dropping his head. Sure. He can stand there and pretend Alirah dragged him into this. Say it was her fault he came to wield a Keyblade, was roped into Maleficent's madness. He can dump everything on everyone else, blame them for his CONSCIOUS choice! But he can't. He can't pass blame where it's not due. He could have said no. Implored Alirah to send him back home or wherever Sora was. Pretend like none of it ever happened. That wasn't an option. And now his head was on the chopping block with Alirah's.

"All of those worlds, the princesses - I put myself so deep in darkness, soaking it up like a sponge. Boy did it backfire hard." He laughed derisively at himself. The powers he desperately clung to turned him into a cheap puppet for a maniac. That maniac was still living inside him. He could feel it. Ansem's walking around inside of her, tainting his heart. "Or am I blaming Ansem for something I'm too scared to admit I have no control over?" He droned soberly.

Castle Oblivion thrust him into worlds where he was met by the darkness. Where he used it willingly to ensnare innocent lives in its web. Throughout that entire venture, in order to meet Sora again, he tried to pretend that he wasn't afraid. That the darkness had no effect on him. That...he actually tamed it like the wild animal that it was. Eventually, he was forced to accept the fact that the darkness was as much a part of him as the Keyblade. That if he kept distancing himself from it, it would only cause him greater pain.

"I've accepted that darkness flows within me. That I'm stuck with it." He'd never be rid of the sense the darkness was shackling him. Not for a while anyway. "But...do I really have it under control?" He doubted. "Is the darkness my weapon to wield as I wish? Or is it as Ansem said, and it's corrupting me little by little?" Thought of Alirah turned his spine to ice. "What if the darkness takes control of me one day, and I hurt her again?" The miles of open land was looking pretty good to him right about now. "Can...Can I really just leave?"

Unknown to Riku, Alirah was sauntering sluggishly up the stairs carrying her own worries. Her own darkness was bugging her something fierce too. She saw Riku gazing intensely at the open road. Right there he reminded her of Ven, and how badly he wanted to run away. Eraqus could be unbearable sometimes. Alirah's wanted to run away too. Unfortunately, sooner or later, it all catches up in the end.

"I bet Terra did this as well." Riku jumped, turning to see Alirah walking up beside him. "When left with tough choices, he always found a place where he could think out of the open." She inhaled the fresh air, taking in the nostalgic sights. "Before he left, I'm willing to wager he looked out to this world seeking an answer."

"That answer made him leave you. Something…I admit…I intended on doing." Riku clutched a handful of pebbles. "The darkness in me is still running wild. I feel it grow out of control every night. Hear and feel Ansem taking control. As if what we accomplished in Castle Oblivion amounted to nothing!"

"You're not the only one bothered, Riku." She sternly reassured him, sounding upset by how self-centered he was behaving. "Xehanort…or rather my Necromancer in the form of Xehanort has been keeping me up as well." Riku was shocked. The way Alirah carried herself, he wouldn't have guessed. Not that he didn't have his suspicions. "I have yet to conquer my fear. And if the day comes that I should lose control, and I'm unable to stop myself - like with Xehanort and Aeleus - my goal to earn forgiveness willl go up in smoke. And if the day co"

"Funny. It's almost like fate brought us together for this reason." He pet her hair. "We're so much alike."

"Fate's little jokes. That's what we are."

"The worlds around us are the punch line."

Alirah lowered her head, putting her forehead to his shoulder. "I do not deserve the rank of master." Riku sighed resignedly. He can't say he didn't see that coming. "I lost control during my battle with Xehanort...because some part of me was trying to hold it back. I cannot be called a master until I can truly face what I fear, and gain a firm control over my darkness."

"And I can't return home. Not the way I am." He wrapped his arms around her. "I can't face my friends as I am. I can't allow anyone to see…that Ansem still has a good hold on my heart."

"Does that include Mickey?"

"It does. What if the darkness takes over, and he's near? What if you're near and I can't control it."

"That's how I feel. And why…I can't keep Hiano with me." Se showed Riku HIano's charm.

"Really?" Is he sure his head wasn't on crooked.

"Hiano chose me because I am a necromancer, yet I still fear my Mancer powers." She closed her hand, hugging the charm as if hugging him. "Now he is to serve a keyblade master who hasn't conquered her darkness. In my heart I can't stand by him while I know this."

"I feel the same when it comes to Mickey. He wants to be my friend, and walk the roads with me. But…the roads could draw out my darkness…and I don't want him to be there when that happens."

"What will you do?" She stared intently, strengthening a shared resolve.

"The same that you are willing to do." He declared.

"Search for a way to conquer the darkness." Just saying it sounded like a lot of work. If Namine's as good at her job as they think, they might have to play hide and seek with Sora for a while. "It'll give us something to do until Sora wakes up."

"Not to mention it'll keep the organization guessing." The whole reason Diz gave them those cloaks was to obscure them from the Organization. Staying in one spot for too long was going to ruin that plan. They're the only ones who know where Sora is being kept. Hiano and Mickey too. The only difference is, the Organization may not bother with them. Maybe. "What do we do about Mickey and Hiano?" She already knew the answer.

"All of us traveling together will be dangerous. I'm afraid…we can't take them with us."

That's all she needed to hear. She didn't like it. Looking at Hiano charm, thinking about MIckey - it was boiling down to one outcome. Mickey and Hiano...they trusted them; swore they'd stand by their side no matter what. For the first time, Alirah and Riku were going to break their promises. Willingly.

"Won't he be able to follow you? Reappear by your side?"

"Not without this." She assured him. "This charm allows me to summon Hiano from anywhere. It also allows him to know where I'm at all times." She touched her temple. "The most bothersome will be our link. It's not something I can sever. Any trouble I'm in - the smallest pin prick - he's going to know."

"Will he be able to find you?"

"In theory: no." When Ansem threw him through the portal, Alirah hadn't the foggiest idea where he would end up. Lucky it was with Aerith and Merlin. Her luck held up. They would be there for him when they awoke. "This will be the second time you and I will be separated." She kissed Hiano's charm, conveying her unyielding love for her oldest and dearest friend. "It will be the last." She set the charm down. "We can get out through the Villa."

"The door leads to Traverse Town, right?"

"Yeah. But you'd better believe Hiano will catch on to our exit."

"Don't worry." Riku opened a portal. "I'm good at covering our tracks." He guided Alirah in, seeing her wavering resolve clear on her cheeks. Riku entered in after her, then the portal closed.

**Hope you guys enjoyed.**

**This will be the last chapter for a while. I have other fics, and my work to take care of. I won't delete this anymore, I've sort of worked out the bugs.**

**See you guys again later.**


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